The Knight
by sorata-chan
Summary: UPDATED They say that there can never be a youkai who also harnessed the powers of a miko...true as it may be, is there still a way to change a miko into a youkai...delete the miko...SessxKag
1. Chapter 1

**Title: The Knight**

**Author: Psychokiller/ sorata-chan**

**Rating: PG-13…may change**

**Disclaimer: I really believe that us fanfiction authors putting up a disclaimer is slightly redundant…of course we wouldn't own the show we are basing fiction off of!**

**Summary: The group stood in the background, stunned at the marvelous display of power by the woman before them, "I am sorry to have hindered you from your journey," she said in an oddly familiar voice, "Wait, what is your name?" The group minus two watched the woman, "Its Kagome" she called while riding off, "What?"**

Chapter 1

The group stood in the background, stunned at the marvelous display of power by the woman before them. A snake youkai had come from out of nowhere and attacked them yelling about the sacred jewel and help. A demoness had ridden out behind him, her pure alabaster steed following closely the movement of the snake.

She slid off of the horse, which dutifully removed itself out of the battle afterwards, and began to eradicate the menace. It was then that they realized that it was she whom the rouge was trying to escape.

She sliced the demon through and stood with her sword valiantly poised before her as the youkai fell dead behind her. The fluidity of her moves stunned them yet brought upon them a nostalgic aura; she looked like a formidable foe.

Her manner of dress also told that she was of a high station in the western realms of the land. The crimson tone of her skintight gi reflected the traces of sunlight faintly, she wore a breastplate over her chest, and she also sported white hakamas with splits in the side to allow movement yet also allowed her to be covered. She silently sheathed her sword as she walked up to the bewildered travelers and bowed respectfully.

"I am sorry to have hindered you from your journey," she said in an oddly familiar voice, the nostalgic feeling grew within them as they continued their scrutiny of the warrior. It was uncommon to have warriors of the feminine sex, as women are said to be too delicate to understand the art of war, yet here stood before them a very contradiction of that statement.

"Fair maiden" the monk of the travelers acknowledged. It was quite an odd group indeed to the warrior, an apparent tajiya, a hanyou, fire cat, and a monk. Odd indeed. "If you do not find it rude of me asking, but, what are you?" he asked, he had never really seen a youkai of her breed before and he was curious, he also wanted to know of what station she had in the west, he lifted her right had and delicately kissed her wrist.

The warrior blushed at the compliment and gesture as she retracted her had from that of the monk's and answered half of his question; "Noble monk, I am neither fair, nor do I mind your question," she began, "I am but a noble knight following the orders of my lord in the Western Territories." She said with another small bow.

"Sesshoumaru has a female knight!" the hanyou yelled incredulously, blue eyes looked at him in confusion, but shifted when a pure white mare came up and nudged the demoness affectionately, neighing slightly, apparently relaying a message.

"I must return" the knight said bowing, she stepped backwards and mounted the horse with fluidity and grace only a cat could posses.

"Wait, what is your name?" the tajiya called as the horse reared,

The knight looked back at them, contemplating whether to tell them or not, she may not ever see them so she didn't see the harm in it, "its Kagome" she said before riding off the way she came, the remains of the demon she had targeted lay forgotten and rotting.

She heard a cry of 'what' as she rode off, she decided to ignore it and continue on her mission.

o0o

A raven-haired young woman sat in her room in a meditative posture, her eyes were closed and her mind was relatively blank as she focused on her energy. After a while she sighed audibly in defeat, her shoulders slumped and her eyes opened showing dark blue orbs, clouded gray in irritation.

Ever since that day, half a moon cycle ago, she couldn't meditate properly anymore. She kept thinking about what her training would be like and what they would have her do to prove herself and her loyalty to them. She sighed again in frustration. Why did they have to tell her?

Ever since she was a little girl, Kagome had been surrounded by miko, she was found at the tender age of three by two traveling miko. She had been attacked by a low level youkai that had killed parents she didn't know and was about to end her short life.

They said she had formed a small purifying barrier around herself, keeping the youkai at bay for a short while. It was long enough for them to get to her. They had then taken her with them to a boarding house on a small island, where they started teaching her how to use the power housed within her.

She grew up there under the tutelage of many miko, but mainly the elderly Kaede, whom was one of those who had found her. Kaede was like a mother to Kagome, and she taught her everything she knew. Kagome was taught about youkai, that everyone was good or evil, never in-between. She learnt of the way of miko and the different ways of healing, with herbs or energy.

She learnt that everything lived, everything breathed, and everything had a right to life.

There was another side to these miko however; there were few who were taught the techniques of a ninja. It is said that the training is for miko to better protect themselves and villages and such, but mainly the ninja-miko were now used to track down the whereabouts of the ancient Jewel of Four Souls, which was stolen from their protection long ago and splintered.

The jewel was said to hold awesome power to whoever held it, it was the miko's duty to protect it and purify it. If used for evil it could bring hideous consequence upon the land, if used for good, it is unsure of the consequence. For the whole jewel grants one wish to its owner then it shall disappear forever. The wish must be a pure selfless one for the jewel to ultimately disappear, if the wish is evil, or used for one's own gain, it purges the land into pure chaos.

No one knows how the jewel was stolen from its heavily protected and guarded haven, but everyone knows that it is of great necessity to retrieve it. The jewel had been shattered and scattered about the land, one shard is said to up the power of its holder by ten fold, making it a very tedious task.

Approximately half a moon cycle ago, Kagome was told by the high council of miko that she would be chosen as one to do the honorific task of gathering the jewel fragments. Kagome knew that such a task was not really honorific, but was really time consuming and tiring. She didn't mind it though; it was something to get her out of the boarding house and her new telltale signs of boredom. If she passed the tests that is.

All in all, she was just happy for something to do.

What irked Kagome to no end though was the fact that she had to leave Kaede. She loved the old woman dearly and didn't want to leave her side. Then there was the company she would be in; now that in itself was odd, in her mind anyway.

Miko normally travel in groups of three together on the hunts, but she was told (way beforehand) that she would travel with a group of outsiders that hunted the jewel for their own purposes, well in technicality; they hunted the person who stole the jewel for their own purposes. But still it was questionable, as to why they would allow, a miko to travel with a tajiya, a hanyou, a fire cat, and a monk.

Sure they were good, they had passed all the requirements of the council, but it was just plain…odd. She had yet to meet this group, having been told that they had continued the search for now and would come back once her training was finished. They had said that they had specifically asked for a miko to accompany them on their perilous journey as a source or protection and healing since miko were known for their healing capabilities.

The council had been a bit skeptical at first, but it was then that the tajiya explained that they had no use for the jewel and that they would gladly hand over the fragments found to the miko if they were granted their request. The council had granted the odd request after the group was tested in spirit. They had passed and was told that they would have to wait for a miko to be trained for them since all the others were on various missions. They had agreed and left stating that they would begin their hunt and come back to retrieve the miko given to them.

She had been the lucky one chosen to be given away, well that's how she looked at it, and they were going to wait at least a year, depending on her learning ability, for her. How lovely of them. She wasn't the least bit aggressive towards it, oh no, she was actually a bit happy, because then she'd have people to converse with, she wouldn't end up being sent off with one or two of those older miko who were stiff and megalomaniacs.

She sighed again as she looked out the window, it was nightfall already, and she should have been finished with her meditation by now and off to bed, she was beginning her training tomorrow after all.

The tatami mat which covered the threshold shifted and an elderly lady walked in. her gray hair was tied behind her in the traditional manner of a miko. She gazed at Kagome fondly with her one good eye, "Kagome ye should be in bed by now:" she admonished.

"I know Kaede-baa-chan, but I just cant sleep" Kagome replied sullenly

"Ye have no need to be nervous Kagome, just go to sleep and do not think of the morrow, you will be fine my child." She said

Kagome sighed again and lay on her Tami mat, and willed herself to sleep, not thinking of what the sunrise would bring.

That was easier said than done.

o0o

Kagome awoke as the sun crested the hill around the boarding house, she gurgled slightly and rolled onto her back. She flopped a heavy hand over her eyes and willed the sleep to come back to her. But that was not to be so, she was already awake and it was time for her to train.

With a groan of protest, she sat up and stretched her back, hearing small popping sounds as she did so. She moaned a little then stood up reluctantly, leaving the pulls of sleep back on her bed.

She walked over to the small basin of water that lay at the wall and washed her face clear of any lingering signs of sleep. Now that she was wide-awake she could start her day properly.

She dressed in her miko robes and left the hut into the cheery sunlight. She stopped by the shrine of Buddha; she slid the door back gracefully before stepping in and sliding it shut behind her. She silently walked up to the alter housing the statue and below it a few fragments of the jewel of four souls.

She sat on the small cushion directly before the statue and bowed deeply, her nose touching the course wooden ground. She raised herself and reached beside her for two sticks of jasmine scented incense. She lit the sticks and held them both before her, closing her eyes and holding the burning sticks parallel to her face with both hands. She said a prayer then a few minutes later she separated the two thin sticks and began dragging them through the air while quietly chanting.

Her ritual now complete, the raven-haired miko set both sticks on incense upright before the fragments of the shikon. She stood and slowly backed out of the dimly lit holy area with her head bowed. Once outside she closed the door again and made her way over to the training grounds.

She stopped in the lush grass to watch a miko older than herself shoot her bow and arrows at a target, the consistency of her aim astounded Kagome, she stood there watching the target, she hadn't realized that she was staring until a voice snapped her back to reality.

"You are Kagome are you not?" the woman asked, well it was more of statement than a question really.

"Yes I am" she answered with a bow, the woman nodded her head in return, her hair was a bark brown color, it was thick and short so it wasn't necessary for it to be tied down. The woman had kind brown eyes, eyes that regarded Kagome, scrutinized her.

"I am known as Kumiko, and I am to be your trainer for this year" she introduced herself. Kagome bowed again out of respect. "Come let us begin" Kumiko said gesturing for Kagome to come to her. "We shall begin with the simplest of weapons, the bow and arrow."

o0o

A group of four sat by a campfire. They were all tired from their trek across the land and their earlier battle with a few lower level demons earlier on that day. The tajiya sighed and lay on her back, her giant boomerang, her weapon of choice, lay beside her in easy reach incase they were attacked. Her doe brown eyes closed in contentment as she rested.

"Are you sure having a miko with us would be a good idea?" the monk asked

"Miroku, I am positive, besides it will help us locate Naraku quicker. Miko are said to be able to see the jewel, so all she'd be doing is gaining the fragments for her people quicker and aiding us, with both healing and whatnot." The slayer said.

"She's right Miroku, she'll sense a bunch of shards and we'll find the bastard, cause he does have most of them anyway. And from what we've seen mostly him minions have them now. So it's a fair trade." The hanyou said.

"Whatever happened to your obsession of being a full youkai Inuyasha? Wasn't that what you had originally wanted the jewel for?" Miroku asked, his dark hued orbs glinting in mischief at his friend's expense. "And then to suggest that we give the miko the jewel, what really in on your mind?" he asked.

"Oh can it Monk" he replied aggressively. "When do we go and get the wench anyway?" he asked the slayer who was off in her own little world of rest and relaxation.

"Soon Inuyasha, soon"

o0o

pk: wow its been a while since i last updated something...at least a whole year! uu imj sorry, i had major exams to study for, i believ they would be the equivalent of the SATs...but much harder and for every sujject that i do...so it was hell.

ive been writing this since my last story though..and i havent gotten very far, but i still wanted to post so i could get feedback and hopefully some ideas.

well thats all i can say, im very terribly sorry...im going to try and stick to a strict updaeing method...but im not entirely sure of the days yet..i have work afteral...standing around all day telling people what they already know..isnt that swell?

anyway..please drop me aline so i can know that at least SOMEone is reading...ciao!


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own anything….uu

Chapter 2

Kagome sat on the wooden floor breathing heavily, who knew that training would have been this intense, it had already been about five or six lunar cycles since she started and Kumiko-sama had told her that she was excelling and at very speedy rate too.

She smiled to herself and raised her body off of the floor, she had also been told that they would have to cut a small bit of her training out so she would begin her journey as quickly as possible as the villain Naraku's whereabouts have been gathered and he was going to make a move with the jewel. The group would be coming back to her on the morning of the next full moon she was told, which when she thought about it, was two days from now.

She spun she sword in hand before beginning a kata, which she had been recently taught. She swung the blade over her head as she slid her left foot behind her. She quickly spun bringing the sword in a downward arch and was greeted by the singing of two blades meeting.

Her eyes widened slightly as she saw Kumiko-sama before her, blade in hand. She stepped back, her eyes still wide, she hadn't even realized that she was there she didn't sense her at all!

"You must keep your senses open Kagome, or else an opponent can take you using the element of surprise."

"Yes Kumiko-sama" she said breathlessly.

"Other than that, you are doing well" she commented.

"Thank you" she said with a bow.

"Go and clean up, we have to get ready for supper"

Kagome left the dojo with the sword in hand; it wasn't until after she was a few yards away from the building that she sheathed it. She walked along the narrow path back to the huts. She entered the one she shared with Kaede and gathered her clothes; she left silently and began walking to the nearby hot spring to clean herself.

She walked over to the concealed pool of heated water. She stooped at the ledge and cupped some water in her pale pink palm. She grinned slightly to herself before letting the water trickle form the small opening between her conjoined palms.

She stood up and dropped her sword sheath to the ground and took off her shoes. She began to untie the sash that held her hakama to her body but paused as she heard a sound in the brush around her. She looked up at the sound, it was grass and there was a small shriek.

She quickly retied the knot and took her sword silently from the sheath and walked barefooted into the underbrush around her. She stalked down a twig and leaf covered path. A few twigs stuck the underside of her uncovered feet but she ignored the slight pain. She concentrated on the strangled sounds and found herself in a small clearing.

What she saw brought a pang to her chest. There were two snake youkai terrorizing a small defenseless kitsune kit. The boy looked to be about six or seven summers. He was lying on the ground crying waiting for the inevitable killing blow that would come to him. Kagome's eyes became hard as she charged at the two demons, her sword brandished. Her miko flared on the blade as she killed the rouges with one slash.

The kit looked up at her in awe as she stood over him, her face compassionate.

"Are you all right little one?" she asked, he just stared up at her like she was an angel. Kagome got worried, could he even understand her?

"I'm f-" he started but winced in pain, he slowly brought his small arm into view, there was a small gash on it, but it was bleeding freely.

"Here let me help you" she said and took him into her arms, careful of her sword. She walked back to the spring and set him down on the ledge. She cupped some water into her hands and cleaned the dirt off of his wound. She set one palm over it and concentrated. A warming effect came over both of them as his wound healed.

He looked at her in awe. "Miko-sama, thank you" he gushed with bright emerald eyes.

"No please call me Kagome, that title makes me feel old," she said with a giggle. He grinned at her,

"I'm Shippo," he said proudly, puffing out his small chest somewhat. His bright red hair was caught in a high ponytail with a blue bow. He just looked absolutely adorable.

"So Shippo-chan where are your parents?" she asked looking around for the Kitsune youkai to retrieve their son.

He looked downcast now, she felt sorry for bringing up an obviously painful subject. "I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She said scooping him up in her arms.

He cried on her shoulder, telling her about how there had been more snakes, that they had attacked his parents who had died protecting him and that he had run as fast as she could to get away from the snakes to the point where she found him. She sat there with the kit in her arms consoling him, combing her fingers through his hair and whispering soothing words into his ears. He had eventually fallen asleep, and she had eventually remembered that she has missing supper and that she hadn't bathed as of yet.

She got up, retrieving her clothes and sword, and left the springs deciding that she would bathe in the morning when she woke up and that she'd take Shippo with her.

0o0

Kagome sat in the main room of the dojo, today was the day she would take her test, the test of her spirit. She wasn't really sure how that worked since she had never been to one of these gatherings (she wasn't allowed). She was also to meet her new companions today and leave the boarding house on her new journey.

She was nervous, she was frustrated, she was agitated and she couldn't meditate. With a growl of annoyance, she unsheathed the sword given to her by Kumiko-sama and fluidly rose from her seated position. She swiftly began a one-person spar. Technically it was a kata, but because it wasn't choreographed, it wasn't called that. Well in her mind anyway.

As she 'sparred' her thoughts roamed to the kitsune she had found. Shippo was an orphan and she had taken him into her care. The other miko of the house had a problem with it at first, their reasoning for hostility being that he was a demon spy and he was going to run of with whatever little fragments of the jewel the council had in their possession.

The council of course did not accept their petty reason for a second, sensing no evil on the boy and had granted Kagome custody of him. She was thrilled, and so was he because he was in a new place and Kagome was the only person he knew (even though he didn't know much about her) and trusted.

It had warmed her heart when he had told her that. Since then they had been inseparable, he came with her everywhere and she took care of him as her own.

She swung round bowed as she felt Kumiko-sama's aura in the room.

"You've improved Kagome, I'm impressed" she greeted,

"Thank you" Kagome answered, noticing the three persons following her teacher. She felt two demonic auras amongst them so she assumed they were the ones to be her new companions. She bowed to them out of respect and they bowed back

"Kagome, this is Sango, Inuyasha, and Miroku. Oh and how could I forget Kirara" Kumiko-sama introduced pointing to each in turn, "They are to be your new traveling companions" she concluded.

"Pleased to meet you" Kagome said bowing again.

"Likewise" the slayer, Sango said. "I think well shall get along just fine together Kagome you and me"

An orange ball of fluff sped from the back of the room and tackled Kagome. Kagome raised the still sleeping kit to her face, said face contorted in concern. "Shippo-chan, what's wrong" she then noticed that he was still asleep so she did her best to comfort him. It was obvious that he had felt the unfamiliar aura's in his sleep and is instincts had sought her out.

"Um, this is my kit Shippo" she introduced the still sleeping boy with a small smile in his direction.

"Well now that were all acquainted, its time for your final test Kagome" Kumiko-sama said in a chipper tone Kagome had never heard her use before, and it scared her.

The group walked into the assembly hall, where all of the older miko were gathered along with the council of head miko. Everyone was standing in the great hall except for the council whom sat on a raised dais in the front. There was a long path from the door of the hall to the dais, which was clear, Kumiko-sama continued up the path like it were nothing new, it probably wasn't to her. Kagome slowly followed her new companions, all the miko in the room watching her expectantly, like she was to perform some trick for them to prove her worthiness.

"Kagome, the time has come for you to prove yourself to the council. To show if your spirit is really as pure and untainted as you claim it is. This is the final test." It was said in a booming voice by the head miko. It surprised Kagome that such a fickle looking person had such a commanding voice.

Kumiko-sama took the sleeping Shippo from Kagome's arms and said girl walked hesitantly closer towards the dais, towards a stand that she had just noticed had been there, a stand holding a small sliver of the jewel.

"Take the jewel, it will speak for itself" another council member called. Kagome did as told and took up the fragment, she could feel the power pulsating in-between her two fingertips. The sliver had a pale pink color to it, and once her finger had been even relatively close, it shone a warm pink color.

Kumiko smiled off to the side, her pupil had passed the test.

"You are worthy of this honor being bestowed upon you. Choose well your choices and make your ancestors proud Kagome." The head member said and the hall erupted into applause. It was now time for her to leave, and continue with her life.

0o0

Short chapter I know…this cant be helped at the moment..these were already written. Erm, the topic of their ages has come up…..after re-reading what I have witten so far, I would assume from my writings, that Kagome would be around 17 or 18. being trained as a miko matures you faster than a normal life of marriage and work because you are trained to keep your control from a younger age to keep your powers in check.

Erm, and I believe everyone would be the normal age that they are in the anime. Hm that's all I gues. Thank you for the reviews, maranda wight and Lafia Anua Mehono. I love you guys!


	3. Chapter 3

Yes, i changed the summary. I like this one better though.

I refuse to stake any claim to the property of Rumiko Takahashi…I have too much respect for her work to do that, if it weren't for her…I would not be writing this.

Chapter 3

It had been about two lunar cycles since she had left the boarding house and started her journey with the rag tag group. It didn't take her very long to notice that Miroku was a straight out pervert, Inuyasha, was a fractious curmudgeon, Kirara was a source of solace and Sango was a lonely girl traveling with two men and needed another girl other than Kirara to talk to.

Shippo had gotten along with them fairly enough, though he and Inuyasha fought like siblings and it amused her to no end, though someone had to intervene when Inuyasha began cursing and threatening Shippo.

During the time, they had returned to the boarding house once, to drop some shards of the sacred jewel that they had gathered. It was then that Kaede had seen the full effect of Inuyasha's temper, and gave Kagome a subduing necklace for the irate hanyou.

To say Inuyasha hated it would be a dire understatement. The half demon detested it and he also had a miniscule amount of loathing for the 'witch who put it on him', A.K.A Kaede. She didn't mind one bit.

Also during the short time, Kagome had found out why they were each searching for the vile hanyou Naraku; Sango was avenging the death of her kin and the enslavement of her brother Kohaku, by Naraku, Miroku was looking to rid a family curse made by Naraku that tied into the lifespan of the disgusting half-breed, and Inuyasha was looking to avenge the death of his past love, a miko Kagome had heard about, a miko she looked similar to, the undead miko Kikyo.

Something else she had seen/found out whilst on her travels with the group was that Inuyasha had an older half-brother. The demon, Sesshoumaru, was formidable foe, and the current feared youkai ruler of the flourishing Western Territories. He held a cold aura and looked down upon humans.

He comes at irregular intervals to fight Inuyasha for his legendary sword the Tetsusiaga. Sesshoumaru wants said sword claiming it to be _his_ birthright from their great and terrible deceased father. But the thing was, that Sesshoumaru couldn't touch the sword, and it was used to also keep Inuyasha's demon blood under control along with protecting humans, beings the great prince despised with a passion, so it couldn't have been handed down to the prince, he would simply have no use for it.

Kagome sighed and slumped in her lotus position, she just had too much on her mind to really meditate anymore, and it was really a trial. Currently they were all sitting around a roaring campfire, Miroku was meditating, Sango was waxing her beloved but way oversized weapon, Shippo and Kirara were sleeping and Inuyasha was sitting in a tree watching over them all.

Well that was until he sniffed audibly, that's when they knew something was amiss.

"What do you smell Inuyasha?" Miroku asked gathering his monk's staff and standing.

"Sesshoumaru" was all the hanyou said before leaping off leaving the group. Sango looked over at Kagome and Miroku, the monk nodded and they all leaped up and ran off in the general direction that the hanyou did.

They had come across what, to them, had become a very familiar scene, Sesshoumaru had Inuyasha locked in some painful submission-looking hold and Inuyasha was bleeding from some wound or the other. It was quite boring now really.

Kagome sighed in frustration and readied her bow and arrow, she took aim and was about to fire, but a cold voice halted her,

"If I were you miko, I wouldn't interfere" it was Sesshoumaru who had prompted her. She blinked and realized just what he had meant. The western prince had the upper hand in the situation, with being the stronger of the two and the faster, had she fired her arrow, he would had shifted so that Inuyasha was the one hit.

With a small scowl she lowered her weapon and watched in agitation. She had stood up to Sesshoumaru on more than one occasion before; she had even gone as far as to fire at him and destroy is armour. Of course, he had tried to kill her after that, but he had not succeeded.

She now knew that she irked the young lord to no end. That was something she was quite proud of actually, though she wasn't sure why.

The battle ended a few minutes after that moment, with Inuyasha somehow, by some miracle, besting his older brother. The three got the half dead half demon back towards the camp where Kagome took care of his wounds.

It had really become a rather boring chore.

After that, they all sat around the fire waiting for their dinner to be ready, Shippo and Kirara had woken up with growling stomachs that demanded attention, and so Kagome had begun a small meal.

"Is it done yet?" was the cry/whine of the healing half demon.

"Yes Inuyasha it is," Kagome answered exasperatedly with a roll of her mysterious azure orbs. She plucked a fish out of the fire and handed it to the impatient boy who practically inhaled it. The rest of the group watched the gluttonous display before snapping themselves out of their stupors and eating their own.

Kagome stood up and brushed the dried leaves and twigs from her yukatta. She reached for her small pack and grabbed her bow and arrows, "I'm going for a bath," she announced, glaring in Miroku's direction. He feigned innocence but said nothing.

"Can I come?" Shippo chirped, jumping up from his food

"Sure you can," she said scooping him up into her arms.

"Be careful Kagome." Sango warned before taking a bite out of her fish and watching her friend leave into the dense forest around them.

"Why do I have a feeling something is amiss?" Miroku asked looking at his companions, unbeknownst to him, they all felt the same way.

Kagome sat by the stream of cold water and stripped down. Shippo was already prancing about in the water as she stepped in. The water went up to her knees where she stepped, she at on the ledge and looked into the clear water.

A particularly chilly breeze blew by, sending goose bumps up her arm and a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach and the back of her mind. Shippo jumped into her lap for protection, Kagome deftly reached behind her for her bow and arrows.

"Do you feel that?" he asked her, there was a lingering malicious taint to the air around them.

"Yes, there is something here." She answered calmly then something flew past their head and all they saw was darkness.

o0o

"Kagura!" came the call of a handsome daimyo. He sat on a sitting cushion in his darkened room watching the blood red barrier around his lair. His unusually crimson colored eyes glared at the doorway, waiting for the previously called servant to show face.

A woman with short black hair done in an elegant up do stepped in and bowed to her lord.

"Is the deed complete?" he asked, his dark velvety voice echoing in the room. He rested one clawed arm on his raised knee, red eyes boring into her.

"Not fully my lord," she answered looking at him through her thin bangs, her own red eyes regarding him, coldly wishing him ill-will. "We have brought her"

"Good, Kikyo and yourself should deal with her," he said as a sign of dismissal and turning away from her. The woman rigidly bowed and walked away. She walked down the narrow breezeway; it was dark and foreboding. Just the way her master liked it.

She exited the breezeway and stepped into the miasma-filled courtyard where three beings awaited. She walked closer to see the undead priestess speaking with the demon guard; the two paused in their conversation to look at her.

"Are we ready?" the priestess asked, dull brown eyes narrowing in malice towards the general direction of their master.

"Yes," Kagura said unsheathing a dagger and handing it hilt first to the priestess. The guard held up the unconscious and naked miko so that they could begin the process.

At this, Kagome awoke and began thrashing in her captor's grip, she didn't want to be possessed by Naraku, she knew of the story of the tainted miko Kikyo who was captured by the dark hanyou and killed. Kikyo began slicing along the younger girl's arm, all the while chanting below her breath.

Kagome felt weak, like all of her energy was dwindling; she fell limp in the guard's arms as a brown light consumed her. Her pink energy ignited around her, like a flame in lighter fluid, before going out completely in a swirl of dust. The shallow carvings on the unconscious girl's arm instantly scarred over, leaving in its place a crooked shield.

Kagome came to a few minutes later. She looked at her surroundings, then at her captor. Her stormy gray eyes alight with confusion.

"Who are you?" she asked.

o0o

Naraku sat in his room chuckling; he had felt the sudden surge of power before it snuffed out altogether, perfect this was all going according to plan. He looked at the tainted shards in his grip, the first part of his plan had been relatively easy, and now that the priestess had no powers or memories, as it seemed, it would make the process even easier.

He dismissed his void demon and stood. He tucked the shard into a fold of his haori and left the room. He walked down the hall to the last room; there was some shuffling on the other side. He slid the shoji screen open.

Kagome froze as the door slid open. She was in the middle tying the obi on her furisode. She looked up to see a breathtaking man she had never seen before. He wore a plain blue haori with a gray hakama; he smirked at her and came into the room.

"Its good to see that you're up," he greeted, his deep voice pleasing to her untrained ear.

"Thank you." She said a bit awkwardly, bowing slightly

"Would you join me fore dinner Kagome?" he asked, she looked in her lap for a second contemplating it, she was hungry, she fiddled with her thumbs, it would seem he was the lord of the house so it would be ungrateful and disrespectful to decline the offer. With a small inaudible sigh, she looked up at him and nodded,

"But can Shippo come?" she asked hesitantly.

"Shippo?" he echoed, and then a little kitsune climbed timidly upon her shoulder from under her hair. "Yes Shippo can come," he decided, besides there was nothing the little runt could do to stop his plans.

The two got up off of the floor and followed the beautiful man out of the room. The hallways were dark, filled with a presence that sent shivers down Kagome's spine. After a few minutes of walking, he led them into a small room with a low table.

He sat down at the head of the table on the sitting cushions present, Kagome sat on his left side, she had no right to side on his right for she was not his mate, or anyone of close relations.

A few servants came out with food and placed them in front of the three seated. Naraku began his meal first then followed Kagome and Shippo. The meal was passing by quickly with light conversation, but Kagome was not feeling well.

"Are you feeling alright?" Shippo asked her concern lacing his voice, Kagome could only shake her head, she didn't trust herself to speak. "Maybe you should lie down." He continued.

"I'll have Kikyo administer some herbs for you," Naraku offered, the small smirk not very visible on his visage.

"T-thank you." Kagome muttered then stood up shakily and was helped from the room. Naraku smirked openly as he told Kagura her orders for the ex-miko. The transformation should go very smoothly, if not a little pain here or there.

o0o

"Where the hell is she?" Inuyasha raged; they had gone to the lake when they noticed the absence of the miko's aura. They had found only the clothes of their friends.

"What could have happened to her?" Sango asked; she was extremely worried for the miko, granted they all knew the girl was a good fighter, but she wasn't experienced. There had been no scents at the spring. It was like the two just disappeared into thin air and a cloak settled over.

"We have to find her." Miroku concluded.

"Don't you think we know that?" Inuyasha yelled, glaring daggers at the calm monk. Inuyasha felt useless, like he had betrayed her, he had promised her and the council that he would see to her protection personally. And now she and the kit were gone and they had no clue as to where to look first.

"Pack up we leave within the hour." He commanded, he was going to find her; he had to.

o0o

"What is this?" Kagome asked warily eyeing the foul substance Kikyo had presented her with under the pretence of 'medicine'.

"It is to help you with your ailments." Kikyo said once again patiently. She scooped up some of the rank poultice for Kagome to eat.

"No way, nothing that stinks so badly can be healthy." She stuck by her philosophy. It just couldn't in anyway, shape, or form, make her feel better, if anything she thought Kikyo was trying to kill her.

"You have to eat it if you want to be well once again." Kikyo sighed. She had not counted on the girl's lingering obstinacy. She needed to get her to at least swallow some of the potion for the transformation to begin, but the girl was as stubborn as an ox!

Shippo climbed on Kagome's shoulder, his eyes were all puffy and watery as if he had been crying, "Kagome I don't want you to be sick anymore," he whined, she had already been in bed for a whole day because she was in pain and he didn't like it. Kikyo smirked lightly; the kit was helping her more than he knew.

"Oh alright…" Kagome sighed, she really didn't want to swallow that thing, it felt wrong, but if it would help then she'd have to, besides she didn't like seeing Shippo sad. She slowly opened her mouth, cringing as the scent caught her. Kikyo didn't waste any time in shoveling the chunky liquid down her throat. Kagome swallowed it, gagging halfway.

"Good now stay in bed you will need your rest." The undead woman said before leaving the room. As the door closed, Kagome sat up in the bed and scowled at the kit.

"That tasted vile," she whined then almost instantly doubled over in pain. Her fingers and toes felt like they were on fire, she gripped the bedding harshly as her gums burnt and a loud continuous high-pitched sound shot into her ears.

"Kagome are you alright?" she heard Shippo calling out to her. She gasped at the immense pain.

"Shippo-" she got out, she could feel something smoldering within her, the pain intensifying by the second. She heard Shippo shriek before allowing the darkness to devour her.

o0o

Crummy chapter I know, but it told what needed to be told. So basically this was a filler. It was longer also; I've been trying my hand at that I hope it was good.

I thank my reviewers, I really love you guys, I smile every time I see a new review. Thank you all! You make my workday bearable because I know that I have at least one review to go home to view.

Oh and just to clear this up, I am, along with what I believe to be a majority of the persons logged on to this site, a girl. I am 17 and I live in Jamaica with my family. I've been writing for at least three years now and I have a closet filled with books and loose leaves of stories and story ideas that I've had…I think that's all

I thank you again… toodles.


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter is dedicated to BlueEyedNinja and all her cool glory for telling me what was gonna happen next . XD

Chapter 4

Kagome woke up to pain, her- everywhere hurt: her eyes, her ears, her legs, everything. It even hurt to have the blanket touch her. It felt like her skin was on fire. She wanted to rub her eyes, but she could not. She wanted to yawn but her mouth felt sore, she felt like she couldn't do anything. A half groan half moan of pain escaped her lips as she sat up awkwardly in the darkness.

"I see you have awoken." Came a cold greeting off to one side of the room. Her head swiveled painfully in that direction, she saw Naraku sitting there and watching her. She blinked painfully, how is it that she could see him in pitch darkness? Just what was going on?

"Its good to see that you pulled through with success," he continued. She raised her hand shakily to push her knotted hair from her face; her overly sharp nails grazed her cheek.

"Ow" she winced, though it was more of a surprised reaction than one of pain, it had barely felt like a pinprick but it shouldn't have happen. She pulled her wrists in front of her face; they were long and pointy, kind of like…claws.

"What did you do to me!" she screamed in horror, the pitch of her own voice stung her eardrums but that was of little consequence to her at the moment. She frantically felt herself, all areas of her body that were throbbing in pain. Her canines were elongated and pointy, her ears were pointed.

"You are a demon now," he spoke casually, as if speaking of the weather, a smirk playing on his lips.

"What, why?" she cried looking over at him with frightened midnight eyes.

"Because I made you one." He answered simply, motioning to the mirror beside her futon. She wiped her wet cheeks stumbled towards the polished surface with shaky legs. She looked at herself and immediately broke into heart wrenching sobs; her ebony hair was, if at all possible, darker and longer. It looked silkier also. Her bangs were longer and more unruly giving her a feral look. Her eyes were narrower and slanted, her skin, her lovely golden skin was pale, mostly from not being outside in Kami knows how long.

"Why did you do this to me?" she whispered, crystalline droplets falling from now demonic eyes.

"I have fixed you to suit my needs," he replied.

"And what's that?" she demanded, thoroughly livid with the half ling.

"In due time you will learn my pet," she glared at him as he left the room, she then fell in a heap of satin and tears on the floor.

(o)

Kagome sat in her room by the wall; she was bored and was staring intently at a teacup that she had just drunk from. It was on the low table before her, on the other side of the small room. Shippo, after freaking out a bit at the sight of her new appearance, had accepted it, telling her that it didn't matter what she looked like to him, as long as she didn't leave him. She had hugged him then put him to bed, he didn't protest to that idea.

She continued to stare unblinking at the cup, she was a demon now; she had come to terms with that new factor in her life. She didn't know just what role she played in the world before her capture, but she knew that she was a human while doing it. She didn't really like the fact that she was now a youkai, being changed against her will and all, and being used for someone else's gain no less, but it wasn't reversible and at one point in her now immortal life, she knew she had to come to terms with it, it was better sooner than later she figured.

She had taken a whole week to come to terms with it though, with much crying on her part and cursing Naraku with whatever words she found laying around in her muddled brain. The time she spent in thought was just something to do since her body had still been changing and needed time to adapt. She had been bored out of her mind during the entire ordeal.

She guessed it wouldn't have been half as bad as it was if she had known some semblance of her and Shippo's lives before this whole mess. And what was with the scar on her arm? She sighed and blinked, effectively breaking her concentration on the cup.

The kit shifted on the bed beside her, reminding her of just how bored she was. With another deep sigh, she resumed her tedious visual assault on the cup. She would have gladly used this time to gather her thoughts, but the problem with that idea was that one had to have thoughts to begin with, and she had none. So she settled with the staring contest with the inanimate object for now. The door to the room slid open beside her to reveal Kagura, the main person she saw in this place. Kagome unwillingly broke her gaze from the cup and gazed disinterestedly at the wind demon.

"What do you want?"

"I've been sent to retrieve you," the youkai said then flung a yukatta at the seated girl, Kagome caught in and raised an inquisitive brow in question, "put it on" she witch said and slid the door closed.

(o)

Kagome parried a relatively hard blow by an opponent she couldn't see. The room was dimly lit with a few dark patches in some places. She had followed Kagura in here and as the door slid shut, she was attacked. It was by chance that she had found a weapon just laying in the darkness waiting for her to find it. It was then that the real fighting began.

Kagome was unsure about where this entire prowess came from but she was attacking and defending herself from this invisible opponent like she was doing the moves of a well-memorized dance. It was simply ridiculous in her mind. She didn't know how to fight, she didn't remember being taught, well then again she didn't remember much now did she?

She was probably trained before being ensnared, and her body was just reacting on its own will, doing what it was trained to do. No matter how many times she mulled it over in her mind, it just didn't sound right. She inwardly sighed and slunk into the darkness, while she was at it, she would use said darkness to her advantage. She really didn't want to lose. Losing mean punishment, and she really didn't want to go through _that_ again. It was too obvious that Kagura took pleasure in her punishment.

Maybe it was just youkai nature to know how to fight, now that sounded utterly impossible to her. No creature just _knew_ how to do something, sure it could come naturally to said creature, but it had to have been _taught_ it in the first place to actually _remember_ it to know how to do it. It was all one big headache in her mind, and she didn't want to ponder on it anymore, especially considering the circumstances that the topic sprang into her mind. She knew how to fight; she decided that she would just leave it at that. It was simple enough to follow.

She could not figure out the exact location of the youkai she was sparring with, but she had an idea, she could smell him to her right, and she could hear him breathing. His breath hitched and his heartbeat sped up slightly so she could tell he was about to attack her. She lifted her own sword and met his with a ring of metal, she unbalanced him by kicking his feet from under him and placed her blade at his neck. He surprised her by disappearing and reappearing beside her. He swung his blade at her; it was too close for comfort. He stabbed at her and she arched backwards missing the strike and flipping, kicking him in the process.

"Enough!" rang through the room. Kagome pushed herself in a sitting position on the floor, blood and sweat mingled on her battered body, she had not left this battle unscathed, nor did her opponent. She watched as the few shallow wounds healed before her eyes, something that amazed her to no end about being a demon.

"Good enough for your first try," Kagura said before leaving her in the room alone, her demon opponent had already left. Kagome smiled slightly to herself; that was as close to a compliment the wind witch was going to give her.

(o)

A knock resounded on the rich oak shoji screen doors of the room. The occupant looked up from his paperwork and scowled slightly; he really didn't want to be bothered at the moment. "Come," at the one worded command the doors slid open and a young woman gracefully walked in with her head bowed. Her pale face was partially hidden by her corn silk blonde hair. She stopped by the desk in the room and bowed lowly to her lord and master before holding out a rolled up piece of parchment for his purposes.

"What is this Kaori?" he asked grasping the obvious letter with a magenta striped wrist. His golden eyes bore no emotion as he stared at the bowing servant before him.

"It is a letter from the hanyou my lord," she replied, her voice faint yet firm. The lord knew exactly what hanyou it was that she spoke of; only one hanyou would dare willingly communicate with him. He growled slightly as he looked over the contents of the letter, he silenced another threatening growl fiercely as his fair eyes scanned over the barely legible scrawl if the hanyou.

'_The fool dare challenge me!_' he thought crushing the rice paper in his fist. The demoness before him flinched visibly at her master's uncharacteristic slip in control. "You are dismissed," he stated not even sparing her a glance as she practically flew from his presence, he didn't care about the fragility of his servants to his temper, and he didn't have time at the moment. He had other pressing matters to attend to, like the certain death of an overzealous hanyou-possessed daimyo.

(o)

Her cerulean eyes popped open; she was no doubt unfortunately awake… and sore. She slowly sat up but froze as cool metal was pressed against her throat. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked down past her nose to see a sword, a slightly familiar sword at that. She followed the sword to the hilt, connected to the hilt was a wrist, to the wrist, an arm, to the arm, a shoulder and to the shoulder a head and face.

"You need to be more alert," the person admonished.

"Well I'm sorry for being tired," she quipped, she was really not in the mood for this. She yawned heavily; the movement making her chin tip the blade. The cool metal pressed against the skin of her collar, sending goose bumps up her alabaster flesh.

"Get dressed, we begin now," the command was answered with a groan. The younger demoness knew for a fact that there would be hell to pay for her insolence, and then hell all over again for sleeping in.

Any which way she took it; she was in hell.

(o)

Naraku sat in his room readying for an attack of his domain. He had sent the letter of challenge only days before and had already received an answer. He smirked maliciously as he thought of the demoness under his protection; she was almost ready for the task she was being trained for. She already showed signs of fast progress; it was all a matter of time now.

(o)

"How long did ye say ye have been searching for her?" Kaede asked the small group as they sat for rest in her hut. They had come back to the boarding house just a few hours prior to tell the council of their predicament. The council had not been pleased and had blamed the group, but the hanyou mainly for him slip in his duty.

"About a half a moon cycle or so," Sango, the slayer answered sullenly.

"And they are gone without a trace ye say," the miko continued questioning.

"Yes, we don't understand it," Miroku said frustrated.

"There is nothing ye can do child, all we can do is wait and pray that the Kami-sama bring her back," she said mainly to the sulking hanyou than anyone else.

(o)

"How long have we been here?" Shippo asked from his perch on Kagome's shoulder. They were in their room bored to tears and were both staring at the same spot in the shoji screen for about a half an hour.

"I think it's been sixteen nights," Kagome said looking through the small opening above their heads for confirmation on whether it was day or night.

"Do you think we'll leave?"

"I hope so, its boring here"

"Yeah it is, I hope we remember too" the two sighed audibly and in sync, the shrug of their shoulders in rhythm. "Well there's an upside, you've gotten stronger," the kit chirped.

"Yeah, for Naraku's purposes, but hey a girl's got to know how to protect herself-" she was cut off by the deafening ring of metal clashing outside their room in the hallway. The two looked at each other then scurried to the back of the room to huddle together.

"Yeah protect herself…" Shippo commented with a smug look. Kagome felt her cheeks heat up.

"Yeah well I don't know what's going on so I'm not doing anything rash such as looking out the door." She retorted. Their attention was once again diverted to the door; there were screams and dull thuds and crashes, just what was going on?

(o)

Ok. Short chapter…I'm working on it….I was debating whether or not I should have posted this today, because I mean, I have so many hits for this chapter, almost ten times the amount of reviews I have….its very disheartening

So, even though I really hate it when authors say/do this, and I don't want to really do this, but I'm going to have to, I refuse to update on any of the sites that I have posted this story, unless I start seeing a dramatic increase in reviews. If not, I'll just have to take it to mean that no one, other than the persons who have reviewed is reading this and I'd just send the chapters to their emails.

So yeah, heed my words please, and I'm not just saying this to gain more reviews, I'm just really want to know, just how many people are interested in this story…and it would also tell me just how many people read author's notes….

Anyway, see you later; I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Although I didn't get the increase in reviews that I had hoped for sigh but I have decided to update anyway because of the fuzzy content of the four or five reviews that I had gotten, so this is dedicated to BlueDart, XxDemonExterminatorHanayuxX, MichiruAOZ, BlueEyedNinja, filledelmer, silverstargazing, DeadlySoulCaster, BRENDA, and kogaswoman21, ..thank you all!

Chapter 5

The great Lord of the West burst through the courtyard of the dark castle. The evil barrier had parted to let himself and his small band of troops in, so he knew the despicable hanyou was waiting. He made the signal for his warriors to attack from all sides; there was a war cry from inside the dark abode so that all knew that the battle had begun.

With his sword already drawn the prince entered the foreboding place, he saw that his first opponents were the wind witch and the void child. Naraku wanted to tire him out before they fought; it was obvious. The hanyou was such a coward.

Kagura smirked at him as she lifted her fan. She had always had a thing for the demon lord, but he never once acknowledged her, she had at one point thought him to prefer males but that was overruled when he had decapitated a courtier for suggesting that in his presence. She had stopped running after him, with whatever dignity Naraku gave her in tact, stating that it wasn't worth it. She released her famed wind blade attack. Her smirk widened with the knowledge that he couldn't escape it.

The lord of the west scowled as the blades sped towards him. He knew he couldn't dodge all, being in the enclosed space of the corridor and all, but he could deflect some. He raised tokijin and released some of the sword's dark energy. The powers collided, making a small explosion. He dodged the last blade that came for him with ease, looking at the wind demon with bored eyes. He really did not have time for these games.

Kagura released another attack, the arcs of power were once again deflected and the corridor was destroyed. Miasma from the outside floated in and mingled with the air of the corridor, slightly deadening the senses of the youkai lord. Said lord cursed inwardly yet still continued to attack.

Kanna, the void demon, erected a barrier around herself and her 'sister' to deflect the attack of the demon lord. The attack instead was absorbed and increased by the barrier; the sword had been made from the head of one of their fellow minions, Goshinki, so his power would be familiar to them, none thought it would or could be used against them.

Kagura cried out as she was hit with the attack. Red ink-like blood seeped from her wound as she glared at the demon lord. Grabbing Kanna, she fled the castle on her feather; she knew that very soon Naraku would do the same (without the feather).

The aristocrat of the west was unfazed as he continued down the already decimated corridor to where he knew Naraku sat.

Naraku sat in his sitting room calmly awaiting the arrival of a slightly fatigued lord of the west. That was not the parcel he received as he heard the departure of his main warriors. He looked out the shaded window beside him contemplating his next move; Kagura was not to have left this early on in the battle, nor was she to leave without the demoness in the room down the corridor. He did not want to see such good talent go to waste, nor did he want to use her this early. She was his get-out-of-jail-free card and he intended to use her to his advantage.

He looked towards the door as he saw the towering lord glaring at him. "Sesshoumaru, we meet again," he said innocently, a small smirk worming its way on his visage.

"Naraku" Sesshoumaru spat glaring at the spider hanyou before him. Naraku stood and faced the livid lord before him. "You dare challenge this Sesshoumaru," the full demon growled flexing his clawed hand.

Naraku chuckled darkly and shot a tentacle out at Sesshoumaru, the prince dodged easily then lunged at the dark hanyou, using the oncoming appendages as leverages. Naraku's eyes widened as tokijin's blade narrowly missed his flesh. He jumped backwards and withdrew, putting a barrier into place to protect himself.

Sesshoumaru growled once again and started hacking at the barrier, using tokijin's power and energy to weaken it and Naraku's other defenses. A tentacle shot out of the hanyou, catching the lord off-guard and impaling a white clad shoulder. The lord winced in pain and staggered backwards, ceasing his assault on the barrier for favoring his injured shoulder. He glared even more fiercely at Naraku, who now held an evil glint in his eye.

The hanyou lunged at the injured lord, drawing a hidden sword and swinging it; Sesshoumaru parried the blow, ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder. Unaware of the miasma slowly infecting the wound.

Sesshoumaru sliced Naraku in the back, the hanyou howled in rage and went to one knee. Blood spewed from the wound, mingling with the other demon's blood already accumulating on the damaged wooden floor. Both were getting weary, it was now a matter of who fell first.

Naraku heaved himself up and lunged at Sesshoumaru who had been readying an attack. With a yell, Sesshoumaru releases poisoned youki needles at the unsuspecting hanyou. There was a small eruption of power and left in its wake was a heavily breathing injured taiyoukai.

"Damnit, the coward," he cursed eyeing the hole in the wall the hanyou used to escape.

(o)o

"Do you think its over?" Shippo asked terrified, they had been listening to the sounds of battle for quite a while now, and then all together everything stopped.

"I don't know," Kagome replied with a small shrug

"Then go check,"

"Why don't you?" she countered slightly glaring at the small kit.

"I'm a kid, you're the adult," he stuck out his tongue at her.

"There's not way," she whispered back fiercely, "that I'm doing that." Shippo looked over at the demoness he thought of as his sister, she was the closest in relation that he had. If she died he didn't what he would do or more importantly _could_ do, he was a child after all.

"Go open the door," he whispered at her

"No way," the demoness whined, "I'm not getting myself killed,"

"But it's over,"

"So what, the enemy could be still out there, ready to kill any survivors," the two were so deep in their argument that they didn't hear the heavy footfalls outside the door, nor the sliding back of said door.

"But-" Shippo started then froze,

"See what I mean," Kagome muttered looking up at the battered, yet regal looking lord.

(o)

Sesshoumaru entered the battered hallway; he was just about the leave the miasma-infested place to return to his castle to regain his strength when whispers caught his ears. He was the only survivor of his battalion that had gone there, and it irked him to no end that the 'children' of the vile half-ling was able to defeat his troops.

He walked slowly towards a door at the end of the hall and paused, listening to the small argument that was taking place. The voices he heard were vaguely familiar to him. He slid back the door, and paused slightly; the room was virtually untouched by the miasma. He looked inside and saw a demoness and a very familiar kitsune kit. They both looked up at him,

"Uh-oh," the kit said,

"Why does he feel so familiar?" the demoness muttered to the kit who in turn shrugged. Sesshoumaru recognized one of them as the kitsune kit that traveled with his brother in the little group, but who was this demoness?

"Kagome," the kit muttered still watching the demon lord who was looking at them with his scrutinizing gaze, the demoness, Kagome, was fiddling with the sleeves of her kimono, "What do you think is going to happen to us?" he asked

Kagome, that name sounded familiar to him, ah yes the miko wench that also traveled with his brother. But this woman was a demon; the wench was a human miko.

"You killed Naraku right?" Kagome spoke up looking at him through her bangs, "And now you're going to kill us…"

"What?" Shippo asked fearfully, apparently he had no idea what to think.

"The coward isn't dead." Sesshoumaru spat, Kagome winced at the tone and Shippo hid behind her think mass of hair.

"Who are you?" she asked again, timidly this time. Sesshoumaru was taken by surprise, if this was the same woman whom traveled with his brother, then she should know him, after all, she had interfered with his battles more times than he liked to disclose, and she also managed to leave without a scratch also. He had somehow formed a grudging respect for her in his mind. Though he would never admit that. "I mean- your aura feels familiar, b-but I don't know who you are."

The lord blinked, the only outwardly sign that he was in shock, what had the hanyou done to them. It was obvious to him that she _was_ the human witch that journeyed with his half-breed brother, but she was not human anymore. Just what was Naraku planning. He had obviously erased their memories, and hid her powers, from what he could tell, but for what reason? What was the deviant hanyou thinking? He spun on his heels and left the room, something was brewing and he was going to find out just what it was.

Kagome sprang up, and Shippo clung to her hair for dear life. She stopped just outside the door, her eyes taking in the carnage and her nose the miasma. "Wait!" she choked, her eyes tearing up from the burning sensation of the miasma on them and in her throat. He stopped, but didn't look at her, "You can't just leave us here,"

"And why is that?" he asked impassively looking at them from the corner of his eyes.

"We have nowhere else to go- we don't remember anything! We have no other options. Please, " she pleaded, her eyes watering even more now, "at least just drop us off at the nearest village or something, but please don't leave us here."

He looked at her, she was paste white, like death, she must have not been let out at all. She was crying, mainly because of the miasma now in her system, but he hated seeing females cry, it was something he grew up to. "You were not born as a youkai were you?" he asked her. She looked up at him and shook her head slowly.

He sighed slightly and inaudibly, he now _knew_ that she was his brother's companion. Naraku must have kidnapped her and the kit and her miko sealed away so he could change her with no problems. But what of the kit, what did he, or would he want with a kitsune child? Looking at her now, it was obvious that she knew nothing more than what she was taught.

With another sigh he motioned for her to follow him as he made his way out of the ruined place.

Kagome trudged happily behind the demon introduced as Sesshoumaru. She continued to fiddle with the sleeves of her kimono, a nervous habit she picked up while in seclusion. Sesshoumaru walked on in front of them, his wounds were healing slowly, due to the poison, but healing nonetheless. His thoughts wandered to the demons behind him; he couldn't bring them back to his hanyou brother just yet, he needed information from them, thus ruling out the village suggestion.

Besides he couldn't just leave them at a village, they would be out-cased soon as he left. But why did he care? Was it because of the knowledge that they knew little? Or were literally helpless?

Or was it that he pitied them?

As a lord he had to think of the well being of his subjects, and as long as they resided in the western territories, they were acknowledged as part of that generalization. So it went deeper than just pity, it was just his duty.

He thought on the subject a bit more, weighing the pros and cons of leaving them in a village temporarily. Upon seeing how the demoness had reacted to leaving the barrier it would be safe to say that, neither she, nor the kit would really know how to react around people, especially human people. There was also the factor that he wanted nothing to do with the mortal race, and that covers being indebted to them, so to solve all of his mental stress, they would be journeying with him back to his dwelling.

He looked towards the heavens, noticing the purple tinge to the sky. It was soon to be nightfall. He stopped and looked back at her slightly; the kit was asleep somewhere in her hair. "We camp here for the night," he said.

She jolted to a stop and looked at him with wide eyes before looking up at the sky, it was becoming dark; she hadn't even realized that it was so late. She nodded slightly before seating herself under a particularly large tree. She leaned back and untangled the snoozing kit from her locks. She placed him in her lap and he curled himself in a tight ball against her stomach. She smiled slightly at him.

Sesshoumaru sat under a tree of his own nearby, he let out a small unrecognizable hiss of pain was a particularly annoying rock jutted him in a raw leg wound. They were at least three days from his castle; he decided to just go ahead in his interrogation to pass time.

"How long have you been held captive?" he asked, the first obvious questions of a few.

Kagome looked up slightly with half-lidded eyes, she took a moment to contemplate before answering his question, "about sixteen or seventeen nights I believe, I'm really not sure," she said.

He nodded, she was too fascinated by the wildlife to have been captive for a mere few days, and the fact that she was as pale as death added to that conclusion. She was too awed by the greenery outside the barrier limits so he figured they had erased even her most basic of memoirs. It was as if the hanyou had decided on making a living zombie; the erasing of her memories eliminates her ties to the world making his work easier.

"What do you know about this world?" he decided to leave his previous line of questioning, it was best to actually know of what she knew first.

"Naraku is a sick bastard." She began, "that we were taken from… wherever it is that we came from. I know that I was human. I know that Kagura would rather kill herself than help Naraku, but he had made it so that that option was void. I know that I was being trained to fight without remorse, to kill." She said the last part quietly. She didn't want to look at the demon interrogating her, he probably thought even less of her know.

He watched her reaction; she was ashamed of herself that much was obvious. She had every right to be ashamed of what she had been made into; she was born a pure creature, never to take life, even the lives of the deserving.

"Sleep now," he commanded, "We leave at daybreak."

(8)

Ok, new chapter please review…and honsestly…I doubt any sucking up will help.


	6. Chapter 6

Ok, firstly, I am deeply sorry for the semi-long wait, I had meant to post this chapter yesterday, but a lot of things that I could not control happened. And also I'm sorry for my past A/n's…but I'll get into that at the end of the chapter. Though I must thank DeadlySoulCaster for her review…it literally woke me up, I thank you. And dedicate this chapter to you.

And thank you to all of my other reviewers, I love you all. Anyway, enough of my blatherings, enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 6

Kagome woke up to a familiar poking in her side. She groaned and turned in her position, but still the poking persisted. She should have known that Shippo wouldn't stop his beloved distraction on her whim.

"Stop it," she whined pitifully, trying to grab onto the lovely realms of sleep once again.

"I have to wake you somehow," he pointed out, knowing she was awake. She sat up before him and stretched, showing her enlarged canines.

"Come on, we have to eat before we leave," Shippo whined, glaring as the demoness bent backwards to pop her back like they had nothing of importance to do that day. She flipped over slowly then stood up behind him reveling in the feeling of relaxed muscles once more.

"Oh hush, you gripe too much for a child" she commented, brushing the stray twigs and leaves from her yukatta.

"It makes me wonder just who the child realty is," he muttered spitefully glaring over at her with his arms folded in front of him cutely. Kagome paused in her ministrations and gazed over at him. She then placed her hair in a loose bun and walked off leaving the miffed kitsune to glare at her back.

"Are you coming or do I have to eat all the food myself?" she called back to the now stunned kitsune. Shippo scowled at her and scampered off in her direction as quickly as his little feet would carry him.

Sesshoumaru watched the scene unfold before him, he had been resting above ground in order to keep a better watch out and aid the wind to dry the cuffs of his hakamas. He had woken up a bit later than he had planned, which was something he detested passionately, and had decided to leave the two to sleep a bit more whilst he went to the nearby stream to take care of his more hazardous (by human standards) wounds.

His mind drifted as he listened to them by the stream, Kagome, what was she, what has she become? She had the grace of a feline, yet the full appearance of a human, save for the more prominent features that all humanoid youkai possess. Her inky black hair and more dangerous blue eyes gave the impression that she was a panther, or related to one.

He recalled her saying that she was being trained to kill without remorse. Most panther youkai were skilled assassins by trade, so it would make perfect sense for Naraku to want to use such a youkai.

The next taxing thought to cross his mind was; _how_ the hanyou managed to create a youkai, from a human, a miko no less. Youkai and miko were mortal enemies since the beginning of life itself, so how was it that a mere overzealous maniac created a powerful youkai from a miko? The woman's power would pose as the first threat, purifying the alien blood upon contact. But to get that out of the way, one would need another miko, a dark miko presumably.

Who was the dark miko that the hanyou had contacts with?

He snapped himself out of his brooding as he heard the two coming back; a sopping wet kitsune cub was chasing the demoness with fire in his eyes. They seemed to hold a sibling like relationship now, rather than the protective mother he had seen when the demoness was human. Said demoness was hunched over in fits of laughter, making him begin to wonder just what was so funny. She calmed herself down and looked up at him a goofy grin etched into her face. It was then that the thought came to him, the miko Naraku had in his servitude, the undead miko Kikyo.

"Good Morning Sesshoumaru-san," she greeted brightly, promptly ignoring the ranting kitsune behind her. He heard bits of said rant, the reason for her laughter as clear as day to him now.

As sly as a feline, he should add that one to his list also.

"I can't believe you did that!" Shippo ended pouting cutely and looking up at her with 'hurt' emerald eyes.

"Hey, its not my fault you went fishing in a particularly deep spot," she defended smartly, her cobalt eyes shining in unhidden mirth.

"You threw me!" he yelled,

"I did no such thing," she commented blithely,

"Humph," the kitsune huffed turning away from her.

"Well you aren't riding on me," she said before bursting into gales of more controlled laughter, "it was funny when you flew though," she snickered giving herself away.

"I still can't believe you!" he whined.

"I couldn't resist, you were literally asking for it, I just… helped out a little." She continued, "Oh hush, it was funny and you know it,"

"You're insufferable!" he yelled good-naturedly

"Oh well," she sighed, before eying his drenched form, "You're still not riding on me."

"If you two are quite done, we will leave now," Sesshoumaru intervened, standing from his perch. As humorous as he found watching those two bicker, they still had to depart for his castle.

"How comes we didn't leave at daybreak as planned?" Kagome asked, she was curious about it; he didn't look like the type of person to go back on a promise of any kind. And she had wanted to see what the sunrise looked like.

"Plans change," Sesshoumaru answered stiffly, sticking his nose partially in the air haughtily.

"He woke up late," Shippo pointed out silently to the demoness, "Taking the time to fully heal then I woke you up," the demon lord retained the urge to throttle kitsune.

"Okay," Kagome shrugged, she really didn't care if the man overslept or not. Sesshoumaru swiftly and silently landed from his perch and began walking away, Kagome and Shippo following silently.

(o)

"So have you remembered anything yet?" Shippo asked during their extensive walk, somewhere along the way he had deemed himself fully dried and hopped upon her shoulder, slowly inching his way up to her head. He was now looking down at her; technically he was the same level as her, the only difference being that he was upside down.

"I've stopped trying actually. Because every time I do try, I get this feeling that something's slicing my arm open," she replied shrugging lightly.

"Maybe it has to do with the scar on your arm, you know the shield looking one," he commented, "the last time I tried I got knocked out."

"Where were you when we got taken away?" she asked her kitsune friend, pausing slightly in her walk.

"I think I was in your hair, I'm not sure," the kit said groggily, Kagome nodded at this and continued walking with a sigh. She looked up and noticed that their guardian was ahead of them. She sighed heavily and jogged up to catch up to him.

Said demon lord heard their small conversation easily from his place ahead of them, and from what he heard of the clues given, it sounded like a simple sealing spell. Simple to miko, extremely complex to demons.

"Um, Sesshoumaru-san, I don't mean to complain or anything, but can we rest here, its already past dusk," she ventured, true they had been traveling the entire day with no rest stop, he was probably trying to make up for the lost time of that morning, but her feet were beginning to hurt, and Shippo was beginning to drool on her scalp.

The demon lord sighed and took a seat under a canopy of trees, silently watching the demoness. She put down the kitsune by a protruding root; he curled into a ball at her loss of warmth but didn't wake. She continued with her goal of going to the river they had been traveling parallel to.

He heard the splashing of water, she was cleaning herself, thus giving his time to think on the matter a bit more. The miko Kikyo aided the dark hanyou in sealing away the miko energy of the once-human girl, thus making it an easier task to change her essence to that of a youkai.

But then the next problem would be the actual transformation, he knew of such a thing, but it was never tried, the potion made was to be taken in by the subject and the change would take effect immediately, but the transformation was to be complete in one lunar cycle, according to her, only half of such cycle had passed. Could it be that the hanyou had found a way to quicken the unused process? Or was it that she was not complete?

He felt a small pulse of power coming from the direction of the ex-miko, as a strangled yelp coming form the throat of said ex-miko. He got up to investigate; knowing that there were no threats in the area, and that there was the added problem of the demoness's probable nudity.

He found said demoness sitting on a boulder, her yukatta wrapped loosely around her frame, the left sleeve was off her shoulder showing her now milky white skin, and a black outline of a crooked shield on said arm. She was looking blankly into the water, while biting her lip.

She turned to look at him; she was startled with his sudden appearance he could see. She had begun to urgently wipe at her eyes and cheeks to stop the flow of tears he had not smelt. Another thing to ponder on later. She did nothing to hide her bareness because as he could see, she was not exposed at all, not in the slightest. Under her kimono she wore bandages, covering her more private of areas and a few wounds.

"Sesshoumaru-san, I-I'm sorry if I have disturbed you," she said, hastily rising from her position to bow slightly in his direction, he waved off the apology carelessly, he did not care if she felt sorry for disturbing him, he wanted answers.

"You have not completed your transformation have you?" he asked, though it was more a statement than question. The girl nodded, wincing slightly as a tremor of pain rain through her body. That nod confirmed his suspicions about Naraku's reasoning for hiding the girl during the battle, he knew the hazards it posed to send an under trained warrior to fight.

He noticed the crooked shield was pulsing, out of curiosity, he stepped closer to examine it, and she shied away. She covered the scar with a pale claw tipped arm, that he noticed now harbored black spiral around the wrist. It seemed as if it was burnt into the skin, if the red inflamed skin around it was any indication.

"Please, don't" she asked looking at him with tormented indigo eyes; he could see the pain she was going through as she pleaded with him to not touch her. He now knew that the carefree kitten he sees playing with the kitsune, which they had so carefully left at their camp, was a pretense, a mask to hide a despondent woman who was being tormented by a villain she had thought she escaped from.

"Come, you need rest." He commanded, watching as she got up and tied her obi properly around her frame, hiding the source of her inner suffering from his eyes.

(o)

They spent their nights like that, while Shippo slept; they spoke, mainly him asking questions and her answering to the best of her hindered ability. He understood her pain, and he didn't judge her for the way she handled it. That was something she was grateful for about the demon.

She knew that their nightly conversations were something to keep her mind off of the pain her body underwent at night, another thing she was thankful for about the demon.

She also enjoyed somewhat their conversations at night; he gave her the freedom to speak of her personal thoughts, when he was not questioning her about Naraku, and he didn't make any snide remarks or question her sanity, as she knew he sometimes wanted to do.

He did not reveal anything about himself, though sometimes she prodded, she could see that he was a youkai of high status, and that he fought with himself sometimes to not answer her. She had come to the conclusion that they, herself and Shippo, knew him, and that he knew about them, but she didn't prod on those topics, telling herself that if he felt she should know then he would tell her, though she sometimes wondered why it wouldn't do good to tell her about her past.

She also found out that he was an egotistical ass, and that he always found ways to get under her skin, most times, she noted, he did for fun. Something that miffed her to no end.

And that was how they found themselves the third night of their journey, sitting by a campfire, made on impulse as he noted, and conversing.

"Villages sure are far apart," she commented, poking the flames with a deadened tree branch she found.

"I am not taking you to a village," he replied looking over at her form illuminated by the orange glow.

"Why not?" she asked glancing over at him curiously

"Because I prefer to have no dealings with humans," he replied, yes he was an ass, but he was also good company.

"Then where are we going?" she asked

"I am taking you to my castle in the West,"

"You own a castle in the west?" she had to keep him going, he was letting out information, and she could finally know something about this mysterious demon: exactly who he was and quite possibly, where she knew him.

"I am the Lord of those lands woman." He said, he knew what she was doing, and he commended her for doing it. He had not given her any information about himself since they started this journey. He wasn't sure if she was trustworthy enough to tell her anything personal, Naraku could control her and his words used against him.

She had tried many a way to get him to unconsciously divulge anything, and he had dodged every one of them with a smirk. But now he willingly revealed his title, it was a necessary hurdle to jump, for she would find out somewhere along the way.

She looked at him in surprise, her whole being tensed slightly he knew not if was from pain or something else. He figured it was an especially big blow to stomach, finding out that your companion was practically a king. It made one unsure about themselves, and how they acted.

"Oh. I-I'm " she stuttered for something to say, but what _could_ she say to a revelation like that one. She half wished that he would say then that it was a joke and laugh at her, even if it was to just ease the tension that formed, but she knew that something like that would never fall from the lips of the demon beside her, he just wasn't that type of person. But now, thinking on it, just what did she know about him, was what she thought true? She didn't know what to think anymore.

The other half of her wanted to crawl in a hole and die, or for Naraku to come back for her, or something to leave this now oppressive presence. So she stood from her log and dusted herself off, she turned to him, and bowed meekly, "I'm sorry, m-my lord, but I need my rest at the moment," she whispered from her prostrate form. She then straightened and walked over to where Shippo slept, unaware of it all, and sat beside him, closing her eyes.

Sesshoumaru sighed silently, as he watched her; he had now put her in a position where she was unsure of where she stood around him. He had seen the realization dawn in her eyes, she knew nothing about him and he could tell that it scared her. She realized the fissure that separated her from him, that he was going way out of his way to help a peasant like herself.

As he watched her, he felt the stirrings of guilt tie themselves around him. To say he was surprised to feel the alien emotion wash over him would be a vast understatement. He understood, though, why he felt even the slightest bit guilty. He had grown to accept her company, as she had grown fond to his. He knew most if not all there is to know about the girl, from her habits to dislike of insects, and she knew nothing of him.

The demon lord sighed once again; he may as well get some rest himself.

(o)

During the day Sesshoumaru watched her estranged behavior with a hooded gaze, he noticed that she kept her gaze to the floor most of the time, save for when she was addressing Shippo. She was quieter. It was as if she had fully submitted to him.

That thought alone made the guilt come back full force.

She was most likely ashamed of her behavior towards him, before she knew of his status; she really hadn't cared about the things he really prided himself in. She hadn't cared if he wanted them to do double time on travel because he felt they missed valuable time because of sleep, it didn't matter to her that he hated humans, nor did it strike her as odd when he stayed up at night.

But now she made it an obligation that she got up during the sunrise as to not hinder the lord from his duty. She didn't complain when they continued traveling even well into the night. Nor did she go to the ever-present river to check her new attributes anymore. Nothing to hinder her new lord from his duty of getting back to his household.

Though why should her new, yet odd, behavior make him guilt ridden, wasn't he the one who demanded respect and full submission? Then why was it that the submission of this spitfire miko-turned-demoness, just by the hearing of his title, making him feel… saddened?

Was it that he suddenly felt like he was taking advantage of her? In some way or another.

As the day wound down, he watched her quiet moves; she built a fire, caught food for herself and Shippo to eat, and then sat down to sleep. He knew she didn't sleep until the moon was high in the sky, he heard it in her breathing.

Once he was certain that the kit was asleep, he stood and called out to her. She looked at him with stormy blue eyes confusedly. He motioned for her to walk with him as he left under the thick canopy of trees. She stumbled up and followed him as he stopped by the river. She stood behind him, unsure of what exactly to do.

After a moment's awkward silence, she heard him sigh deeply and ask her; "why do you react so?" the question itself took her by surprise, and she had to pause to think on her answer.

"I am naught but a peasant in the presence of a sovereign. Put in my shoes, would you not feel awkward?" She asked. He was surprised with the weight of her words. Not only was she confused, she was also hurt, hurt that he would keep something that substantial from her, even after she told him all she knew about herself. Not to mention that she didn't prod about the fact that he knew things about her.

He wanted to apologize, but it was beneath him. But the feeling still persisted. He cared nothing for the woman, so why was it that she brought out these new feelings within him? And why was it that he allowed it? Was it that he felt some semblance of compassion for her, did he think of her as… dare he think it, a friend?

He turned slightly to look at her, she was looking away, and he noticed the spirals on both her wrists, they had become more prominent. Standing out even more on her soft flesh. There was also a scar-like mark vertically along the contour of her right cheek. It looked fairly new for the skin around it was irritated.

"I apologize," he said quietly, wondering if she even heard it. The sound of her hair swishing along her kimono rapidly stated that she had snapped her head around to look at him. She was looking at him with wide confused eyes. So he continued, "I express regret for my behavior towards you, my withholding of necessary information. It was ill of me."

Her breath hitched in her small throat, was he apologizing? He was apologizing for not telling her. It seems that that was something he did not hold it to himself to do. She could only nod slightly, still unsure of what to do around him.

He sat and motioned for her to do the same. She found a small rock and sat upon it, watching him, waiting for him to do something. When he did she was shocked into silence. He was telling her about a ward he had, was it that he felt compelled to do so or was it that he was complacent?

She opened her mouth to interrupt him, stating that he didn't have to, but he cut her off before she even begun, "I want to tell you, we are… friends after all are we not?" he asked kindly. Kagome was dumbstruck; did he call her a friend? The word seemed foreign coming from his mouth, and the way he paused, as if looking for the right word to use, told her that he didn't have many friends. She felt special to be bestowed this strange honor.

(o)

OK well heres the deal, I was very very VERY depressed, and I guess I was just looking ofr some attention of someway to make me feel better. I went about it the wrong way, and im SORRY, really I am. I had broken up with my boyfriend of god knows how long a month or so ago, and it was NASTY, so I was like really down, and then something happened, im not even sure what, and we were thinking of getting back together, then it all fell apart, I don't even know if were talking anymore. sigh so yeah, that's my sad story.

I was over a firend's house and I read my reviews, and DeadlySoulCaster's just stood out, you should read it., its on my mediaminer page but I cant give you the link, will eat it up…uu

So yeah, I'm all perky again and happy and I love you all :hugs: I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

I am soooo sorry for the long wait, but it would seem that I had a fairly short relapse into my depression, basically the day after I had last posted. sigh Remember those exams I had told you about? The ones that I took the year off to study for?…well I failed most of them….ok I barely passed, so I wont be going back to my school…I'll have to leave my friends as I do not have to grades to go to the next level….unless I repeat. sigh I am in deep contemplation about that…anyway, thanks for the reviews, they keep me sane...and enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 7

They had arrived at the castle at around high noon. The two young demons could only stand with their mouths agape as they took in the structure before them. It looked to have been made from the mountain it resided in, the stone looking structure stood regally.

They entered the premises through the gates, manned by four youkai guards, who, Kagome noticed, eyed her and Shippo oddly. She couldn't blame them though; you see your lord and master strolling in from battle without the company of at least two warriors of the battalion he left with, yet in the presence of a demoness and child. It was enough to make anyone wonder.

They entered the imposing building, the front room alone was huge; regal columns stood off to the side leading to a set of stairs before them. Two staircases met in the middle of the floor, both coming form separate wings of the structure. Before the staircase was a queue of servants, all bowing at the return of their lord and master in good health.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, this lowly vassal is relieved for your safe return," came an out of place squawk. Kagome followed the sound along with he tapping of wood on wood to see an irritably sordid green thing with eyes holding onto a staff twice its size with two wilted heads atop it. Kagome made a face and Shippo tried his hardest to bottle up his laughter. Sesshoumaru glanced at him curiously, raising a brow at their reaction to seeing his right hand man… er something.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! Lord Sesshoumaru!" came the unmistakable squeal of a young female child, the ward, Rin; which Sesshoumaru had told her about. A smile came to Kagome's face as a little girl ran excitedly in their direction and grabbing onto the legs of her idol guardian, holding it for dear life.

"Rin." The feared demon lord said affectionately, patting the head of his ward. The girl let go and peeked behind said legs at the two demons behind her master. She giggled as she caught Shippo making a funny face at Kagome. The two looked over at her and Shippo hopped down from his perch to be on ground level with the human. Rin flinched back a bit but then noticed that she was a whole head taller than the smaller demon, the fact made her smile brightly.

Sesshoumaru who had been giving instructions to ready two rooms for his guests, turned to see Kagome bending to be level with his ward as the two kids spoke avidly about whatever it was they had struck up a conversation about.

He motioned for Kagome to follow him while Rin ran off with Shippo in tow. The two adults walked up the left set of stairs through a long hallway lined with different paintings of battle scenes. The western lord stopped before a door and motioned for Kagome to slide it back and enter.

She did as told and gasped at what she saw; the room had to be at least three times the size of the one she stayed in at Naraku's stronghold. It was a pale yellow color, sparsely yet elegantly decorated. In the center of the room laid a slightly raised futon with oceanic green covers. There was a low table by one wall along with the wardrobe and vanity table.

"Is it to your liking?" the lord asked.

"Yes, yes its beautiful," she gushed in a whisper, still awed that the room was to be hers. She turned to him, "thank you," she smiled broadly at him, the only true smile he's seen her display since she had been kidnapped. She only gave goofy grins or was laughing at the kitsune's expense. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He wanted to get rid of the feeling, it wasn't that it was repulsive, quite the contrary, it was pleasant. The smile, he noted, also made her look… tantalizing.

He blinked away his traitorous thoughts before nodding and leaving her to break in her room as she saw fit. A few moments later a demoness with long blonde and green hair walked in and bowed, the woman's beige wings folding around her form. Her blond locks falling carelessly over her shoulder.

"Good afternoon milady, I am, by Lord Sesshoumaru's order, your handmaiden. Is there anything you would like?"

"N-no not now thank you, I think I would take a nap now," Kagome answered, clearly unused to having a personal servant.

"Yes, it has been a long journey" the woman replied, walking over to the bed and turning down the sheets.

"Uh-yes it has, um, could you wake me for dinner please?"

"Of course milady." With that, noticing that her new mistress had no idea of dismissing her, the woman took her leave, wondering just what was going on. Kagome wasted no time and climbed on the bed and laid down, the softness of the fabric conformed to her body and she instantly fell asleep.

o0o

Shippo chased Rin through a random garden; they had been like that for hours upon end. Their giggles floated through the air past the trees to the hawk youkai guards at the gate who each smiled briefly.

Shippo had found out that Rin was Sesshoumaru's ward and that she had found him in the forest one day, gravely injured. She had told him about a pack of wolves that had attacked her village and killed her, and then how Sesshoumaru had used his sword and revived her, something that boggled Shippo; weren't swords used to _kill_ people? Not _revive_ them. He decided not to question it, but ask Kagome about it later.

"Lady Rin, Master Shippo," a gentle voice called out to them, Rin turned to see her handmaiden, Yume, by the door of the garden. The demoness' blue-black hair was coiled around her neck, giving the pretence of a furry scarf.

"Yume-chan!" Rin squealed as she ran towards the smiling demoness. She began reiterating all about her afternoon spent with Shippo to the woman who only nodded with a smile. Her emerald eyes shone with amusement.

"Lady Rin, I need to get you and master Shippo ready for supper, the lord will be joining you this night."

"Really?" she gushed, "Then let us go!" she yelled and ran into the castle.

Kagome's eyes popped open, there was another presence in the room, the two weeks of Kagura's pressuring for her to always be alert had paid off, or had brought her eternal unrest, and she would now not be able to sleep with someone in the room with her.

She sat up slowly; pushing her sleep mussed hair from her face, and looked around. There before her bed was a golden knot. A big golden knot. She blinked, her blue eyes still fuzzy with confusion and sleep.

"You have awoken," came the statement from the knot, Kagome was beginning to really question her sanity. The mass rose, showing the demoness servant that Kagome now realized was her handmaiden.

"Yes I have," Kagome answered yawning.

"I am here to get milady ready for supper, the lord will be joining the children and you tonight." She said not looking at Kagome. The younger demoness got up out of the bed reluctantly, instantly missing the comforting haze of sleep. The woman walked, more like glided over to the wardrobe and opened it. "Which would you like to wear milady?" she said motioning to the wide array of beautiful furisodes.

"Anyone would do," she answered, she really had no idea.

"As you wish" the servant withdrew a royal purple furisode, silver comet-like streaks rained on it. She helped Kagome put it on and allowed the girl to fix her hair in the way she saw fit. Kagome took up the unadorned lilac colored brush and drug it through her hair lightly, it took a while for her to get out all the knots and tangles it developed from travel, and to ensure that it stayed neat she simply braided it down the length of her back.

Seeing that she was done, the servant led her down the few corridors towards the staircase that lead directly to the dining area. Once before the door, the woman slid it back allowing her lady to enter before sliding it shut and walking away.

Sesshoumaru blinked when he saw the demoness enter the room, he had been listening to Rin blather on enthusiastically about her afternoon spent playing in the gardens with the kitsune kit. When the girl had stopped chattering away in order to gasp he wondered just what it was to divert her attention so aptly. It was then that he had noticed that Kagome had entered the room; he had turned to greet her.

The sight of her in the furisode left him speechless. The violet of the furisode contrasted greatly with the pastel of her skin, adding the braid that she had set her hair in made her look elegantly beautiful. He noticed her inky tresses had a purple gleam to it, complementing her look.

She walked up towards him gracefully and bowed, he nodded slightly and motioned for her to seat herself. She did so, at his left, the place assigned her. It was then that the servers came out, placing the food in the middle of the table. They stepped backwards and bowed before filing out as silently as they came.

"Itadakimasu." Sesshoumaru said splitting his chopsticks open and helping himself, the others followed shortly after.

Dinner was a relatively short affair, after eating, the children ran off to play in Rin's playroom. The servers from before came and cleaned up. The dining hall was silent save for the light clanging of ceramics striking each other. After the table was cleared, a woman, Kagome noticed that she was her handmaiden; walked out with a small carafe and two drink bowls. Kagome took a small sniff and deduced that the liquid she heard lightly sloshing in the jug was sake.

"That will be all Kaori," Sesshoumaru said coolly dismissing the woman from the room. Once he decided that they were fully alone, he began another line of questioning, pouring some of the tawny liquid for the both of them. "Do you know what type of youkai you are becoming?" he asked lightly sipping his beverage.

Kagome sipped hers quietly, the whiskey burnt her throat slightly on the way down, and it also left a bitter taste in her mouth. "No." she replied setting the bowl down "I was never told, anything," she added as a short afterthought, "just used."

"Hmm, it figures Naraku would prefer to keep all uninformed." He commented, more to him than her, taking another sip, "from what I have deduced, it seemed you are becoming a panther, a mistress of the shadows." He watched her as she nodded once, the movement causing unruly locks of her hair to fall in her face.

"Thank you for telling me," she said after a while, digesting the information as well as the sake. He put down his empty bowl and poured himself some more of the cocktail, before looking at her acutely.

"From tomorrow onwards you are to report to the library every morning after the morning meal for etiquette classes-"

"Etiquette classes?" she echoed looking at him strangely.

"Yes," he answered slowly, he liked being interrupted as much as he liked repeating himself, and he hated doing either. "Etiquette classes, as long as you stay here, yourself and the kit will act like persons of court."

"Ok," she nodded, wondering just how long he was keeping them for but not daring to voice her thoughts. "But can I finish my training?" she asked hopefully, she wasn't really sure why she wanted to continue the horrendous experience, but the words had left her lips before she had the chance to think about them.

He paused in mid-sip and looked at her, he lowered the bowl, "the classes last for the entire day," he replied curtly, disliking the way she seemed to deflate at the words. "Why would you want to continue with it anyway?" he asked, he was genuinely curious.

"I'm not entirely sure," she replied, "I think it was just something to do while at Naraku's. If I wasn't being hard-pressed in the dojo, I was sitting in my room doing nothing." She explained, slightly hoping he would let her continue for some reason.

"Well now you would have classes with Yume to fill your time, so the answer is still no." he said finally sipping his drink.

Kagome took a sip from her bowl; she now understood the working of the drink, sake. It left a bitter taste in one's mouth, and the only way to get rid of it would be to sip more of the substance until it was all done. But by then it wouldn't matter if there were no more to be had because the drinker would already be too inebriated to care.

But she wasn't sitting here to think about sake, she wanted to argue with the demon lord before her about training her, "Why not?" she asked.

"Because women are not meant to fight." He responded, she knew then that, that one declaration would out rule any arguments she had. With a somber sigh she continued her drink.

o0o

Painfully short chapter, once again I apologize, well my internet is down so I'm posting this from work…which I am sorely pissed about since I shouldn't be there this week, for my final day was to be last Saturday…I was told by mere coincidence that I had to work another week…. but I shouldn't complain...I am after all getting another week's worth of pay nn

I believe that I have decided to repeat…but I honestly do not want to redo certain subjects so I will have to see if I can get them to do something about that…that is if they consider me at all…. after all I was told that they had no space and I had a snowball's chance in hell to go to the upper level (I was told nicely)

So anyway, enough about my dismally spiraling life….drop me a line…tell me something about you!

Sayonara

-Sora…….(I haven't done this in a while XD)


	8. Chapter 8

First of all, I am soooo, extremely sorry for this WAY late update, its been at least what, a month since my last update? …no it feels like longer, probably two months.. –sigh-, I feel really bad, But I have an excuse….though I don't really want to give it, because I hate making excuses for things…..ahh well, but this is something everyone can relate to; Life bit me in the ass, HARD. But I'll explain that later, heres the new chapter.

Chapter 7

Kagome once again felt the tendrils of consciousness pulling at her soul. She tried ignoring it, but the feeling was amplified by the presence of another in her room. She abruptly sat up and looked around her dim dormitory. She found a familiar sight at the foot of her bed, the knot of gold.

She sighed audibly; she was awake. Unfortunately.

She groggily wiped at her eyes with the back of her wrist and flung the covers from her body. She slid off of the bed and sat at the edge. Kaori looked up at her mistress; the mysterious demoness held an enchanting visage, even while being half awake. It stunned her really.

"Good morning Kaori," the woman-child yawned while stretching, "did you have a pleasant slumber?" she asked. It bewildered the blonde demoness, never before had a courtier, royal or not, guest or not, show remote interest in anything other than themselves.

"Y-yes I did milady, thank you for asking," she responded while bowing once again.

"Please, don't bow, it makes me feel awkward, and don't call me milady either," Kagome pleaded. The servant's bottle green eyes widened considerably, was she hearing correctly?

"Then what would mi-you want me to refer to you as?" she asked carefully.

"Call me Kagome," the girl chirped, noticing that she was getting through to the demoness.

"Ok Kagome" she repeated, standing up. "But I cannot comply with your first request, I have to bow, it would be rude of me not to" she said.

"Well…then at least don't do such a big one, I small one would have to do then," she sighed.

Kaori nodded at her lady and turned to the wardrobe to choose a furisode for her mistress to wear for the day. A russet dragon looking insect climbed up onto her shoulder to observe Kagome some more. The stretching demoness froze as she saw it. She eyed it curiously, trying to deduce whether it was a threat or not. She doubted that it was.

"Um, Kaori, what… is… that?" she asked slowly, pointing to the creature watching her. The blonde turned in question. She looked to her shoulder to see what her mistress was questioning about; she noticed the inquisitive creature resting upon her wing and nodded in understanding.

"Oh, how rude of me. Mi- Kagome, this is Dre. My advisor of sorts." She said the dragon-looking thing eyed her with eerie wine colored eyes. Before nodding swiftly and exiting the room in a small pouf of yellow tinted smoke.

Kaori extricated a pale blue furisode from the space, and placed it on the bed for her lady to put on. Kagome wrapped the cloth around her body while Kaori knotted the obi. She walked over to the vanity and paused, her breath hitching in her throat as she saw just what she looked like.

Ever since the night Sesshoumaru found her in pain at the river, she hadn't seen how she looked. Now would be her first time looking at her reflection in a week. She walked up slowly towards the looking glass and touched it in astonishment. Was that how she really looked? She now saw the scar-like mark on her face, the soft black arc contrasting sharply against her face, and making her look, if possible, even paler. Her eyebrows had thinned to an impeccable line, a beautiful curve above each eye.

She now had three small cowlicks of hair sticking from the point of each ear; they were hidden in the billowing tangled mane that was her hair. Her pupils had become oval, splitting slightly down the middle. She noticed another black scar-like stripe starting from her shoulder, through a curve in her kimono.

"Kagome are you ok?" the woman behind her asked curiously, snapping her out of her gaze.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said, _I think_.

She brushed her hair out, untangling it once again, and braiding it. She left the room with Kaori to have a quick meal before going to her classes.

Kagome crossed the platform that connected the rest of the estate to the tower-like structure that housed the library and Sesshoumaru's private study. She tiredly climbed the remaining stairs that lead to the library landing. She really didn't want to do any classes of this nature; she would rather spend her time in the library reading a manuscript or something.

She entered the place; it was a big room with rows upon rows that had shelves upon shelves of parchment and manuscripts. She was in hell. She was to spend all her time here learning how to become a proper courtier instead of reading all these dusty chronicles just begging for her eyes to see. There was also a wall-sized window showing the garden that lay beneath, the garden, if she heard correctly, that was the current play area of Rin and Shippo. She sighed as a demoness with raven colored hair walked up to her and bowed reverently.

"Lady Kagome, I am Yume, I am to be your tutor." She introduced. Kagome nodded once. The lady ushered Kagome to a pair of low tables each bearing a stack of manuscripts. They both sat gracefully behind a table. "We shall begin on youkai history," the woman announced before retrieving a manuscript from Kagome's pile and opening it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kagome sat on one of the sitting cushions of the library that afternoon, reading a set of scripts on youkai decree. She had been learning a mass of new things about her new race. She had found out the history of the great island they resided on, and about the finding of the four realms. Yume had then decided to go into the history of the west, deciding to forgo telling about the other three territories. That alone had taken the entire morning.

She changed the page and came upon a new chapter: 'The Shikon No Tama'. There was a crude drawing of the fabled jewel below the name. Kagome stared at it, she felt a strange pulling of her insides as she outlined the small sphere with her eyes. The pull became painful making her tear her gaze away. She took some time to even out her shallow breathing before glancing at the page again. She felt a strange sense of duty towards the image, like she knew she was linked to it in some form.

The thumping of feet upon the nearby stairs brought her back to reality. Rin and Shippo were here for their lesson, meaning that it was time for her to go to hers. She assembled the papers once again and coiled them the way they were, before tucking them back into their position on the shelf. She saw the children sitting at their respective tables writing and smiled lightly, she turned and slipped from the room unnoticed.

She found her way to the tearoom and slid the door back. Upon entering she noticed Yume was setting the table for a tea ceremony. The demoness looked up at her, Kagome bowed in greeting, the woman bowed in return and motioned for her pupil to sit.

"What exactly did you do in your spare time while at the hanyou's residence Kagome?" the elder demoness asked. During their morning sitting, Yume had questioned what Kagome knew of and the girl told her where she was coming from, to say the woman was shocked was an understatement.

"I merely sat in my room, only leaving to be trained. I ate and did virtually nothing on a daily basis. Only Shippo was there to keep me company." She answered.

"So I would assume that you do not know, or remember to perform a tea ceremony then."  
Kagome only nodded her accuracy.

"Hmm, well it seems we have a lot more to go over now don't we?" she asked in a slight giggle.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kagome sat on the seating cushion by the window of the library. She was once again reading the parchment on the Shikon no Tama, or the jewel of four souls. Something about the legendary jewel called painfully out to her, and she wasn't sure why. She had found out that the jewel was in protection of the confederation of miko, it was said to be heavily guarded and safe, but somehow someone had gotten hold of it and it was shattered into a multitude of fragments across the land.

She heard giggling and saw Rin and Shippo bounding over to her. The fragrance of fresh soil and grass that now clung to them signaled that they had been having a splendid time below in the garden. The sight of them like this sent another pang into the demoness' chest. She had been so caught up in her studies she hadn't the time to really sit down and converse with them, as she had wanted to. It had been at least three of four days (she didn't know, all of them seem to muddle together) since she had began her new schedule of studying and she was always missing the kids. It was either they had passed before her, or she before them, but they never saw the other during the day.

"Kagome come play with us," Shippo said tugging on her sleeve.

"Yes please Kagome, we haven't seen you in a while." Rin said giving her a pitiful look. "I wont tell Sesshoumaru-sama," she piped up

"Me neither," Shippo begged. How could she say no to them, besides it wasn't like she was breaking any rules or anything. He stood up and rebound the parchments; she could always finish her reading later.

The sound of a woman's melodious laughter rang through the ears or the lord of the west. He stood up curiously and walked over to his wall window overlooking a garden. He saw his ward, Rin and the kitsune, Shippo, chasing a demoness in blue, her midnight hair was haunting, Kagome.

Wasn't she to have a class now?

He looked at them below him, playing, laughing begin children. The scene reminded him of his mother when he was but a pup, playing with him in the very same garden once. She had felt compelled to do so, not minding breaking the rules a bit, having not seen him for an entire year after his birth. The time didn't last long though as she had ordered a maid to clean him up and get him ready for his lessons.

He scowled at the image that waltzed into this mind and made his way back to his document-laden desk. Try as he might, his frame of mind was no longer on the paperwork before him, but on the demoness playing below him. She was not to be out there, he knew, Rin knew. He figured that his ward and the little kit had pounced on her begging her to play with them.

He should really go down there and break it up.

But he didn't want to; she looked happy for the split second he saw her face. He scowled at his train of thought, sure he had declared her his friend, but that didn't mean he was going to turn a blind eye when she did something incorrect. After all, misery loved company.

With a set resolution he stood from his desk and left his study.

Kagome fell in an undignified heap of silk and limbs upon the garden floor, she was breathing heavily and smiling like an idiot as Shippo landed beside her and Rin on top of her. They had been playing non-stop for a good while and Kagome was pooped out.

"See, now aren't you glad you came and played with us?" Rin asked smartly.

"Thank you Rin, Thank you Shippo," Shippo said, his breathing also labored.

"Whatever," Kagome said, she received identical poked from both so she sighed and 'thanked' them.

"Kagome will you stay forever?" the girl-child asked looking deep into Kagome's gleeful azure ones. The demoness smiled at the girl and hugged her,

"Anything for you Rin-chan" she chirped.

They each heard a throat being cleared behind and above them in the haze of their fun. Shippo and Rin sat up quickly and spun to see who had caught them, Kagome sat up to see who had interrupted them. All saw Sesshoumaru and bolted out of sitting positions, Kagome began to _try_ and smooth out the wrinkles, dirt and grass smudges from her furisode.

"Kagome what, pray tell, are you doing out here?" he asked, his face stony, but his eyes twinkled faintly in amusement.

"Uh, I was playing with the children," she replied, looking away, this demon before her had a way of making a person feel as if caught doing something wrong, even when they weren't.

"Do you not have a class to attend?"

"I did, but Yume-san cut it short because she was satisfied with my work," he was making her feel like a small child awaiting punishment and she didn't like it, not one bit. She didn't do anything wrong to be feeling this way,

Did she?

No, she didn't, a lady of court had the right to play with the children if she wanted to.

Right?

He smirked lightly at the anger and confusion he saw smoldering in her now steely blue orbs. They became blank when she sighed and looked up in genuine confusion.

"I'm sorry, I did something wrong didn't I?" she asked, he nodded once, her shoulders slumped in defeat as she glanced over at the children who were looking away shamefully, "I am not to be out here am I?" she asked again looking back up at him, he shook his head once. She sighed again and nodded to herself, "excuse me," she said, he stepped aside on the landing allowing her passage as she went inside.

He turned back to the two sneaky children as they tried to slink away unnoticed. They froze in place as he caught their gaze. They both sighed and looked ground wards awaiting their reprimands.

"Rin, you know the rules of this household yet you deliberately disregarded them," he began frostily, he wasn't being harsh on them, he was just scaring them into doing the right thing, it worked all the time.

"I'm sorry Lord Sesshoumaru, I didn't mean it," she said sadly looking up at him.

"Why?" he asked.

"She looked so cooped up there; studying all the time, we barely see her and when we do she's rushing off to do either a task for a lesson or she's studying. We only wanted to spend some time with her, that's all," she pleaded, she didn't want Kagome to get into trouble because of them and their misplaced concern.

"Do not let it happen again," he said silently dismissing them. That was the line he used all the time, the once mute girl realized, he had never once punished her, just warn her to not do it again. His warning always scared her, and she always made sure that whatever he had scolded her about never happened again.

Kagome sunk deeper into the hot water of the irrigated spring with a sigh. How was she to know that nobles didn't care much about their children only if they lived or died? She of course did not see her wrong in playing with the children, but then again, she was only just becoming a noble.

His words to her, or lack there of, had made her feel low, like she had done the worst possible misdemeanor ever and was awaiting her death. She guessed that was how it was when one became a ruler of his standing, you had know how to keep the peace, even if it meant scaring your child into obedience.

She would now have to try harder to not fall for the children's tricks; then again, she highly doubted that they'd pull a stunt like that again. But why was she trying to impress his lordship? She wasn't attracted to him. No she wasn't, he was male and females had the urge to be perfect around them. It was nature, so she wasn't attracted.

Right?

The man was her friend for Kami's sake; he said that himself, they were friends, so why was she acting this way? She sighed weightily as her thoughts jumbled once more. There was information about the sacred jewel of four souls floating around in her head, mixing with the rules of youkai society, and then there were the thoughts about the demon lord she lived under. It was just too much for her to handle at the moment. She wanted to clear her head, she _needed_ to clear her head, so she did the only thing she could think of at the moment:

She submerged herself and screamed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ohk….I hope you liked that, The plot thickens…no too early for that, whatever.

There was the long awaited chapter, I wouldn't be surprised if none of you review…-.-;; Ah well, I'll be off now, I have tones of homework to do.


	9. Chapter 9

tis after christmas!! how was everyones holiday? mine wasnt so hot...meh

I'm back….I hope I wasn't gone too long….. I believe I have been. Im totally ecstatic right now, because a few friends of mine who had gone abroad to go to school are now back in the country for Christmas!! Yay! I get to see them again, Its going to be glomp fests and crying, jokes and pictures! And I cant wait!!

Anyhoo, enjoy this chapter please!!!

Disclaimer: When was the last time I wrote one of these, feels like forever….well me no own, yuu no sue…n.n

Chapter 9

Kagome sat on the daybed in her room by the window, the sky was dimming and the stars were already beginning to dot the sky, she noticed something about the night; there was to be no moon. Her transformation was to be completed tonight.

She looked longingly out the window, somewhere within the vast expanse of the land was her family, her friends, people who knew her and Shippo and cared about them. She sighed deeply, a sound that belayed her inner loneliness. She noticed few gray clouds accumulating beyond the trees and smiled wryly, it seemed that the heavens were mimicking her.

She touched the glass as the first few droplets fell. The material felt cool to her skin, she sniffed lightly, holding the piteous tears at bay. She would not cry. She pressed her cheek against the glass. She was worried, tired, lonely, and confused.

Worried about whatever family she may have. Tired of having to learn to be something she knew she was not or could ever hope to be. Alone in this new world of sights and sounds and smells. And confused about everything, who she was, where she came from, and her growing feelings for the demon lord.

She felt a sharp pain rush through her body. She doubled over and whimpered in pain, the pain continued slowly and steadily, encasing her in a callous blue glow. Her fingers tensed against the glass, her claws cut right through making four small holes in it. Her other hand went to wrap around her abdomen where most of the pain pooled. She muffled a shriek that threatened to escape her as she tried to lower her head onto her lap.

The markings on her arms and face pulsated painfully. She smelt blood,, but couldn't exactly tell where it was coming from, she was bleeding steadily. Her claws screeched down the window as she drug her arm; the room became stifling as the rain got heavier and heavier outside.

Her own heart threatened to push from her chest. Unnoticed tears flowed down her face, dripping onto her kimono. She wanted to scream so badly, but she could not, she would not. The arm on her belly squeezed the muscles tensely, trying to find a way to override the pain and make it stop. She felt the cracked glass from the window pressing into her skin, but she headed it no mind.

She slid from the raised surface onto the cold hard ground, she couldn't take it anymore, the pain was too intense. Gripping the wooden material of her daybed, she cried out distressingly, the pain was different from any she had ever remembered experiencing. She curled into a tight ball of yellow and black on the floor crying. Sweat drenched her brow as she bit a wrist, trying unsuccessfully to stop the pain.

That was how Kaori found her mistress. She had been on her way to fetch the woman for supper, but froze when she felt a cloak of raw unbound youki flow from the room. She heard her mistress's sobs and screams and smelt the blood. She had thought that she was being attacked or something of that nature. So she flung the door back ready to defend. What she saw was the last thing she had ever expected to see.

Her mistress lay curled on the floor glowing blue and crying. The youki was rolling from her in waves that sent Kaori's nerves on end. Not knowing what to do, she ran from the room to fetch her master.

Sesshoumaru tensed in the dojo as he felt the shiver of unbound and powerful youki course through him. He stood from his stance and sniffed the cold wet air; the scent of the raw power was coming from Kagome's room. He left swiftly across the path back to the estate. He passed nervous servants in the halls; they were all looking in the general direction of the power and whispering fearfully amongst themselves. None knew what to do.

His retainer Jakken waddled up to him, a look of relief washed over the toad's face. "Lord Sesshoumaru, Kaori-san is searching high and low for you, she needs you to follow her urgently to Kagome-sama's room." He said in one breath. He wiped his brow after successfully getting the message off of his chest and awaited his master's decision.

"Jakken, find Kaori and tell her to meet me there, I want to know what is amiss," he said and hastily walked off, not waiting for his retainer to answer. The bounded to the woman's room and entered. The room was suffocatingly full of youki, all of it stemming from the woman-child on the floor. He sheathed his sword after noting that there was no threat and swiftly walked over to the girl.

She was glowing faintly and shivering slightly. Blood was pooling slowly from a wound on her lower back; he noticed a rip in her kimono at the same place where the flood was leaking. Her fingers were bleeding slightly; he could make out the glimmer of glass shards in them. He looked up to the window and saw four identical claw holes and drag marks. He looked outside, the sky was pitch now and the only illumination would be from the few stars visible and the lightning, which cut across the sky at varied intervals. There was no moon; this was the last night of her transformation.

Looking back down at her he noticed that she was losing consciousness, yet still biting her wrist, and crying. The wrist biting was to most likely stop the sobs and cries from escaping her mouth. Her markings pulsed steadily and her breathing was ragged.

He looked back to the door as Kaori slid to a stop before it, her eyes were wide and concerned, features that he would have never described the calm demoness before now. "Kaori, go fetch the supplies used to heal Rin and take them to the bathing house." He commanded, kneeling down to shift the demoness on the ground. Kaori nodded and sprinted off to do her task.

Sesshoumaru rolled the whimpering girl on her back and lifted her up gently and mindful of her wound. She cried out slightly, burying her face into his chest, before passing out from the pain and blood loss, her eyes, which had been clamped shut in pain, loosened as he walked out of her room towards the bathing house.

Once there, he set her by the pool and began extricating her kimono. Kaori came in at that moment and placed the box beside them. "Um, mi-lord, would you prefer I do this duty?" she asked, blushing for the oblivious girl. He nodded and stood, allowing her to do the work. He turned away from them, giving the needed privacy.

Kaori picked up where her lord had left off, opening the kimono, revealing the woman's glowing milky flesh. There was a pair of markings going across her chest, starting at each shoulder and ending at each hip, they formed an 'x' in the middle of her bosom. The demoness took the hurting girl from the kimono and spun her over. She took a towel and laid it on the girl's bottom, right underneath the still bleeding wound.

Sesshoumaru turned around then, walking over to assess the injury. He knelt beside Kaori as she caught water from the spring in a bowl. She took and rag and dipped it in the clear steaming liquid and handed it to the demon beside her. Sesshoumaru wiped away the blood and pressed the cloth against the hole to stop anymore from leaving the girl's now weakened body. He felt something press back against his hand; he raised a curious brow and removed the cloth. The bleeding had stopped and in the whole was a small black nub, signaling the growth of a tail.

Kaori looked on, too stunned to really do much. Sesshoumaru turned Kagome's nude body on its side, taking the kimono with it. He looked at the shield on her arm; it was black and unmoving. He pulled the girl's body onto his, she was shivering violently now.

"Kaori," he said gaining the stilled attention of the woman beside him, "I will need you to pull on her tail." He said. She looked shocked and disturbed to say the least, having never being asked to do something like that.

"But milord, that's a cruel thing to do," she stuttered

"It is the only way for her transformation to be complete and her youki to dissolve." He explained patiently.

"Transformation? Mi-lord I must object, it will only hurt her more than letting it grow," she protested.

He sighed slightly, tightening his hold on the shaking girl. "Her pain will cease if it is pulled out. The quicker the deed is done, the quicker she can regain her strength and be back to the way she was," he said

With a deep sigh of her own, Kaori nodded, acquiescing to her lord's wish. She held onto the slippery tuft of furry skin and pulled on it. The act brought a scream on pain from the ex-miko's lips. Sesshoumaru held her closer to his bare chest, having not replaced his haori from his practice. He felt her hot tears sliding down his front and felt the movement of her lips, parting to allow her teeth to affix itself onto her bottom lip. Her sharp canines grazed his flesh, sending an unwanted shiver of delight up his spine.

Kaori continued to pull, the appendage, slowly releasing itself from the girl's body. It was slick and dripping with blood. She had never seen something like this happen before so she was still in a daze. She pulled again and again until the slick rope was a little over a foot long. It pulled itself from her grip and stopped on the ground, having lost her momentum, the blonde demoness fell backwards on her butt.

Kagome sniffled shakily, the pain was going away, slowly but it was still leaving her body. She opened her misty blue eyes and saw flawless skin. Her breath hitched as she blinked. She looked up slowly, following the contours of the chest to see Sesshoumaru looking down at her, concern flooding his normally bitter golden irises.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, surprising all present, even himself. She only nodded lightly not trusting her voice. She shifted slightly, before noticing her lack of clothing. She blushed fiercely and looked away. "Kaori," she heard him say. The rumble of his voice vibrating his chest cavity and her face. "Retrieve a sleeping yukatta for Kagome to wear,"

"Yes milord," she heard Kaori behind her scuttle up and leave. She was now alone and naked with a bare-chested youkai. A youkai she had begun to lust over to make matters worse. Her blush never ceased as he lifted her effortlessly and lowered her, furisode and all, into the spring. Before raising himself.

Gathering up her courage, she reached out and grabbed his hakama, he paused and looked back at her, confusion etched on his face. "T-thank you," she got out, "For, for everything" he nodded in reply and she let go of his clothing. He turned to leave and she turned to rewash herself. He neared the door and heard her sharp intake of air; he looked back and saw her sliding lifelessly into the water. He sped to her limp form and snatched her out of the pool with a sigh. It was then he noticed, after cradling her form to his, that she had no covering.

A faint hint of a blush powdered his cheeks as he realized that he could not remove his eyes from her skin. It repulsed him at the pervert he was being, but disgusted him even more when he realized that he _liked_ being a pervert at the moment. She was beautiful; her skin was unblemished, save for the twin diagonal stripes going across her. She had soft curves and firm round breasts. Her muscles were firm and they conformed well into the body. Her pink nipples were perked, reacting to the change of temperature, and her equally pink lips, which had four identical puncture marks, which were red, were parted faintly. He looked away finally as he felt his member growing. He needed to stop these thoughts about the demoness in his arms. She was his friend after all.

He sighed inwardly and looked at her face, she was beautiful and unmarked. Did he just want her as a friend? Or more?

The door slid back revealing Kaori with a pale green sleeping cloth for the passed out demoness to wear. The demoness noticed the lingering traces of a blush on her lord's countenance and inwardly smiled. She, with the help of Sesshoumaru, placed the yukatta on the younger female's body then left to gather the healing supplies. Sesshoumaru left the bathing house with his parcel in hand. She shifted slightly in her sleep, nestling her face back onto his chest. He felt the deep intake of air from her and then the sigh that followed. A small uplifting of his mouth was the only show of a smile on his face. He stepped into her room, noticing that it still smelt heavily of her youki but not so much anymore, and that the small puddle of blood that she had been lying in was gone. He placed her on the bed and turned down the covers before shifting her into what he deemed a comfortable position and covered her. He left the dark room and slid the door close.

Kagome awoke to see Kaori in her usual position by her bed. She sat up and yawned with the catlike grace befitting her species. Her pink tongue darted out of her mouth and licked her now healed lips. Kagome sighed contently and rubbed her eyes sleepily. She mumbled her greetings to Kaori as the woman raided the wardrobe for something for the sleepy demoness to wear.

Kagome got out of the bed mechanically and allowed Kaori to take off the yukatta she had on and replace it with a furisode. She felt groggy, and had a slight burn in her lower back. She jumped slightly when she felt something brush her leg, she looked behind her but only found a grinning Kaori, her face contorted into the epitome of confusion.

Kaori only grinned brighter, and began ripping a small tear in the back of the fabric. Kagome's back stiffened when she felt the other woman's hand on her back, but it wasn't on her back. It felt like an extension of her back, whatever it was she didn't like Kaori touching it. She felt the thing slide through the tear and let out a breath when Kaori let go. Looking behind her once again, she saw a black rope-looking thing swishing lightly.

She blinked once.

Twice.

Thrice, then raised a perfect eyebrow.

She had a _tail_?

"You grew it last night Kagome-san" Kaori said seeing the blank look in the girl's eyes. Kagome swallowed, she had a tail.

"O-okay," she said hesitantly, still not wanting to believe that she had a tail.

"Shall we go to the dining hall then?"

"Yes, lets go, I'm hungry" the girl announced.

Sesshoumaru paced his study, deep in thought. Kagome's transformation was complete, and by the looks of it, she was powerful. He was never one to let power go to waste, but he did not want her to be on the battlefield. Yes she could become a valuable asset to the west, but there was also the factor that Naraku could have some power over her still.

He sighed heavily as he inwardly battled whether he should let her be trained or not. In reality, he was being a hypocrite; he had a female general and a female knight working under him, so why was he so quick to deny her request of training?

Originally, his reasoning had been that he didn't trust her enough. She had been quick to argue with his answer, thus giving him reason to think she was, in some way, mentally tied to the hanyou. But now, seeing her as she is, he knew she was free from him. But what was stopping him from making this decision now?

He didn't want her hurt. That was his reason. But why did he care if she was injured or not? Was it that he cared more for the little spitfire demoness than he cared to admit? He shook his head at the thought. Impossible.

No it wasn't impossible, just improbable.

He sighed again and ran his hand irritably through his hair; his train of thought was getting him nowhere. He looked out the wall window to see the object of his frustration walking serenely to this tower for her classes, her newly acquired tail swishing languidly behind her. He noticed the sad and longing look upon her beautiful face and scowled.

She was unhappy with the classes, that much he could deduce, but she was doing well, save for the garden incident. Her scent of watermelons and frost hit him full force as he heard her leave the stairs on the library landing below his. It was enthralling even from this distance. Though she was doing well, the prospect her being a courtier just didn't suit her. She didn't look the type to be submissive at all, if her attacks on his person while she was human and protecting his brother was anything to go by.

Maybe he should let her have a lesson, just to see what she could do and if it would be worth it at all to continue training her. The demon lord sighed, he had come to one decision, and maybe he could get some work done now.

The garden at dusk was beautiful, the fading sun casting the beautiful colors into the sky and the emerging moon shining her pale beams onto the earth-life, making all glow beautifully.

That was how Kagome found the main garden after dinner. She sighed happily as she took in the beauty. The air was cold and charged from the storm the night before, and the grass was still slightly damp. With a giddy grin plastered onto her face, she sat in a fetal position on the last step, watching the last of the sunset.

Sesshoumaru followed the girl's familiar scent to the garden, where he found her sitting by the step watching the sun fall below the trees wistfully. He stood behind her and watched how she tensed and slowly looked up at him. His brow arched in amusement as a blush stole on her cheeks.

Kagome bolted up at the sight of him, she smiled embarrassed that he had caught her out here again; she probably wasn't allowed to sit like that.

"Good evening Kagome, how was your meal?" he greeted looking straight into her azure pools of emotion.

"Good evening Sesshoumaru-san, my meal was lovely, thank you for asking," he nodded, tearing his gaze from hers, he looked up into the sky instead thinking of how to approach to topic. She inhaled deeply in front of him; she too was once again focusing on the sky, taking in the scents around her and committing them to memory. Both stood in relaxed quiet for a while.

When the last of the sun disappeared, Kagome turned once again to the demon behind her, bowed and began to leave. He shot out his arm to prevent her departure. She looked at him quizzically, raising a brow.

"I wish to speak with you," he explained, she nodded and waited. "I have decided to give the idea of your training a chance." He paused and watched as she smiled brilliantly at him, lighting up her whole face. "You will have one lesson in the morrow instead of your session in the library. That is if you still want to learn," he added as an after thought. He was so focused on her smile and the fact that it was directed at him, that he did not notice when she moved to embrace him. All he felt was her body pressed against him, in what would, for a human, be a bone-crushing hug.

She was mumbling her thanks into his chest, and he noticed that that was the fourth time she had voluntarily nuzzled his chest in two nights, he was beginning the think she liked it there. The thought brought a small smirk on his face.

"You only have one chance to prove your worthiness of this challenge," he said when she had let him go, blushing like mad, "Make it count," he watched her as she nodded before bowing shallowly and scampering off gracefully.

okadies new chapter up, sorry for the wait but I hope that this makes it up in anyway n.n

I doubt whether \i'd get one up by new years because…well, remember those exams im doing over, well the test date is on the third of January so I have to spend my after Christmas at Math Bootcamp…literally, three full days of pure and unadulterated mathematics….(sarcastically: I can hardly wait)

ive already done two..one more to go!!!

So yes chickadees, enjoy your holidays!! And have fun for the two of us! .


	10. Chapter 10

Oh wow….

It's been such a long time, now I know for a fact that I either have people who hate me or think me dead. I'm not even going to delude myself at this point that there are any persons actively (or passively) waiting for an update to this little tale.

I must apologize though, two years is a long time to wait. I have no excuse other than I had lost my inspiration and hadn't tried actively to get it back, life went on a head without me and before I knew it, its been two years. But I had made a promise to myself that I could complete this story and I intend to, I just need to get back into my groove.

But I got a jolt of inspiration last week, well I'm not sure if I should call it inspiration, but it was a jolt of something. I found another person as hooked to fanfiction as I am. I only know of a few, well less now since life is dragging us all away, and one of my greatest friends, cutebaby, is the only one I know still actively updating her story, (btw, y'all should read it, Birth, it's really awesome, shameless plug I know lol)

But yes, I found a girl in an arcade that my boyfriend more often than not frequents, and she was sitting at a desktop browsing the site, and I went over to speak with her, and it was then that I promised myself to uphold my promise to finish this.

So it's been a long time coming, and I understand if none of you read this, or review, I'm not even gunna ask for them, don't think I deserve them at this point, but if you want to, who am I to stop you.

So without further ado..

Disclaimer: I am in no way making any profit from this piece of work. Inuyasha does not belong to me, it is the sole ownership of one Rumiko Takahashi who is one of the Kamis themselves.

Chapter 10

Kagome stood in the darkened dojo, after having met her trainers, Kaori (a fact which shocked her to the core) and the twins, as they were so cutely dubbed, the lanterns had gone out in a puff of smoke. There was one central light, coming from the glass ceiling, the sunrise casting a small glow in the room.

Kagome, chosen sword in hand, stepped backwards two steps and blended perfectly with the nothingness. Her aura disappeared completely and her scent faded as if she wasn't there at all. She heard the soft whisper of silk rushing at her from her left, raising her sword slightly; she parried the blow and slinked off, hearing her once opponent curse silently.

The two females, Sato, and Kaori, were attacking her from both sides. Kaori was closest, so she pivoted on her right heel and deflected the attack, Kaori used her other sword to try and unarm the fighting demoness, Kagome grabbed onto her wrist and used the blade to parry Sato's blow. The two officers' eyes widened at the move and untangled themselves from the snare the cunning panther left them in. they looked around the darkness for her but could not find her, moments later they heard her cry out, there was the sing of a blade flying in the air and the thud of the landing. They then smelt blood and heard the female cursing.

The torches blazed to life once again, illuminating the room and its occupants. They found Kagome not too far left of their position favoring her bleeding left arm and glaring at a smirking Seto for all she was worth. It didn't really take much to understand what had transpired.

Seto's red eyes danced in amusement as he took in the glare that he was receiving. The feline before him was really a formidable foe, and really a spitfire. He sheathed his sword in the sheath tied to his back and bowed wordlessly to her. She bowed back, her lips set in a cute pout at having been defeated, and she was having so much fun too!

The world was definitely cruel.

She turned to Sato and Kaori and bowed in acknowledgement of her defeat, they bowed back, and Sato's silver ponytail flopped messily over her head in the dip. Kaori walked over to the fallen weapon and restored it to its respectful place, whilst the twins walked over to the moping female.

"You did well," Sato praised, healing the girl's small wound. The girl still continued to pout.

"Yes, but I was defeated. I've lost my challenge." She said with a heavy sigh.

"You asked of this, correct?" Seto asked, at seeing the nod, he continued. "Meaning you wish not to be a courtier but a warrior. Why?"

She sighed and looked away, contemplating the answer. Why did she not want to be a courtier? Why had she asked for this chance in the first place? Why was it that she felt compelled to do this?

"I am in a debt." She replied, "My life and sanity was spared by Sesshoumaru-sama, I want to repay a debt." She looked back at them; they seemed to accept her answer. But Kaori was still confused. Their lord and master had left to battle the nemesis, Naraku. He had come back days later with the girl and kit, commanding a general of his army to be her handmaiden.

Kaori looked up in surprise, she remembered her lord stating something about a new threat that the hanyou had become. He had heard rumors of a new ally that the hanyou had gained, a new warrior. It had been a great surprise that he had returned with this slip of a girl. And just two nights ago, the girl had gone through a transformation that the general knew not was possible. She looked over at the girl and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"You are an emissary for the hanyou Naraku." She declared.

Kagome's eyes widened at the proclamation. Was that what she was thought of, a filthy spy? The thought alone made her blood boil; she would never help that hanyou even if her very sanity depended upon it. Though she did recognize where the general's train of thought was directing. She had come during a time of unrest for them, their lord had left for a battle, no matter how small it was, and she had accompanied him back. A young defenseless girl with no knowledge of herself.

It would have been the perfect ploy to use, if she was indeed a spy for the rotten half ling.

She looked at the accusing stare before her, "I would never swear allegiance to that foul soul." She declared, a slight edge to her tone showing her agitation at the accusation.

"Yet you stayed with him for the better half of a cycle," Kaori continued,

"I was kidnapped. The hanyou took me from my home to use me in his newest ruse, I want nothing to do with him."

The other two youkai looked on in perplexity. They knew none of these happenings, having been away on a mission for their leader for the past phase. It seemed as if the feline was telling the truth, her tail was rigid behind her, stating her fury for being ill accused. Kaori noticed not this fact and continued with her line of accusation.

"And where is this _home_?" the bird youkai all but spat. Kagome's ire deflated and sorrow replaced the irritation in her aura. She looked away from the woman before her.

"I do not know," she said before leaving the room. Kaori was to have none of it; she had not been finished with the panther.

"Leave her be, general. She has nothing more to say." Sato said as she saw her superior ready to comment. "She has proved her innocence."

"Has she now?" the woman asked glaring.

"Were she not, do you think our lord would have invited her here? Do you think so negatively on our lords ability to judge others?" she asked unperturbedly staring at the ruffled general with impassive crimson orbs. Kaori faltered, she hadn't really thought that far into the possibilities of the girl's presence. She looked back towards the entrance to the dojo where the girl had left and sighed.

"I have mistaken,"

***

Sesshoumaru sat behind his desk as Kaori gave him a full report on how the assessment went. To say he was shocked didn't quite cut it. The girl was strong _and_ skilled, and she hadn't even finished whatever training the hanyou had put her under.

"My lord, may I be granted permission to speak freely?" the general asked lowly. He nodded wondering just what she wanted to speak about. "It is about Kagome milord, exactly where is she from?" she asked. Sesshoumaru's jaw clenched slightly as he changed his position. He figured he could at least tell his general _something_.

"She was originally a miko abducted by Naraku and changed for his vile purposes." He said, the swiftest explanation without going into detail, he mentally patted himself on the back.

"So she knows not of her past." She said looking up at him; he raised a brow at her visually asking her how she knew that. A guilty look overshadowed her face and she looked away, "I wrongly accused her this dawn sire," she said in a whispered voice

He nodded sharply, "and I take it she fled the dojo when she deemed the exchange over," he said, at her small nod he came to a decision, "You are now relieved of your position as her handmaiden, you may return to your barracks. And send the twins to me I have an assignment for them." He said standing and looking out his window. He heard the winged youkai leave and a sigh escape his lips, the cold season was nearing and he would soon have to leave his lands for a conference in the south, leaving Kagome here unprotected in the event that Naraku decided that he wanted his little treasure back.

He turned once he heard his twin knights enter and swiftly bow. "The chill is quickly approaching, and with it comes the forum in the southern lands. Your duty this season is to protect the demoness under my care, you needn't worry about the kitsune too much, for he is not a threat, nor is he really necessary." He said, Sato looked up at him curiously, he nodded for her speak her mind.

"But why sire?" she asked the obvious question on everyone's mind. Why was he doing all of this?

"The hanyou might deem it a perfect time to recover his lost weapon, I do not want her back in the hands of that villain, she is powerful and uncontrolled. He would use any means necessary to get what he wants, and I want you two to use any means necessary to foil his attempts. Do what you see fit."

Seto this time nodded and spoke; "when do you depart?"

"The first fall of ice." He answered, turning back to the window, dismissing them.

***

Seto walked silently into the Zen garden at the back of the estate, it was kept inside the rock itself, ensuring that the formations of the sand is not destroyed by the wind or any other element.

He turned past a stalagmite and saw Kagome sitting on the largest rock staring at a point in the small stream trickling from between the cave. She didn't seem to notice his arrival so he kept to himself, preferring to study her form first.

"Ask and you shall receive," she whispered unmoving. He blinked, so she had noticed his presence, though he had doubted that she didn't, for it would seem fairly odd for one to have definite battle prowess, but be an ignorant victim outside of the field.

He noticed the greeting she gave, so she knew had been seeking answers. "Who are you?" he asked from his position right outside of the garden wall.

"Kagome, a human-turned-assassin" she said in the same whisper, still staring with her back to him.

"Why are you here?"

"Out of pity." She spat, she knew why Sesshoumaru had taken her there in the first place and it was because he pitied her, she knew not who she was or where she came from, and being a man of honor, he could not let a vulnerable woman and child wander the world alone. But she didn't want his pity, nor did she need it. She just wanted to know who she was.

"Where are you from?"

"Naraku's stronghold,"

"Do you wish to leave?" Kagome faltered, did she want to leave? Could she leave? Her mind went back a couple nights before; she was playing in the garden with the children.

_Kagome, will you stay forever?_

… _Anything for you Rin-chan!_

She turned her head to look at him, he stepped backwards as he saw tears in her eyes, how was it that he did not scent them? "I cannot," she whispered

"And why is that?" he asked, more concerned than anything, she hadn't said she wanted to leave, nor did she state her wanting of stay. So he needed her to elaborate.

"Lady Rin adores me, and Shippo-chan would hate me." She said, turning to face the stream once more.

"But if given the chance, would you leave?" he pursued further. He heard her slight intake of air, and he noticed her posture stiffening. Kagome turned to look at him once more, her deep cerulean orbs becoming navy behind her tears.

"I only wish to know who I had been and to understand what I have become. If leaving this castle would prove to provide the answers of which I seek, then it is something I must do," she replied after a moment's thought.

"You are strong," he commented changing the line of conversation, "and skilled, have you finished your training?"

She blinked at him before turning away, "no, I have not" she replied.

"Would you like to?" he prodded, hoping that she would take the bait.

She turned to eye him slightly. Just what was he getting at? "I would"

"I could teach you" he continued, "harness your power, help you become stronger"

She turned to look at him full on, narrowing her eyes slightly, "why?" she asked, "why are you suggesting this?"

"It would be a shame to have such untapped power go to waste" he replied with a small inconspicuous smirk.

"But what would Sesshoumaru-sama say?"

"He was the one who suggested it. Good, now that you have agreed, he shall begin lessons a few days from now at dawn, do not be late" he said before dismissing himself and leaving the cave, allowing her peace once more.

Kagome watched him walk away with a stupefied expression, come a couple dawns he was going to train her. A small grin made its way onto her visage as she spun around once again to meditate.

***

Kagome awoke to the small sound of her room door being slid open, she opened her eyes slightly and watched a small girl walk into the darkened room and take up a position at the foot of her futon, in the same position Kaori took each day.

The panther sat up in the sheets and raised a brow at the girl, silently asking her two questions.

"Good morning Milady. I am Sora, your new handmaiden by Lord Sesshoumaru's order," she said raising herself slightly from her prostrate form. Kagome nodded with a sigh, it seemed that Sesshoumaru-sama had relieved Kaori of her duty after the small disagreement they had had.

"Do not distress Lady Kagome, Kaori-san has already spoken to me about my mannerisms around you, and though I cannot refer to you as only your name, I can cut down on the times I call you lady." Sora said with a small bow, her red hair shifting slightly in its confines.

"Thank you Sora. It is appreciated" Kagome said with a smile, watching as the petite girl extracted a pale green yukatta from the wooden wardrobe. Kagome dressed herself and combed her hair in a low bun before dismissing the other girl. "Oh and by-the-way, you need not come in so early, I wouldn't want you to have to lose sleep because of me, you may begin your duty after my dawn classes."

"Thank you Lady Kagome, that is very kind of you," she gushed before bowing and leaving the room.

Kagome slid her bedroom door closed before walking down the corridor to the front staircase. After leaving the main house through the dining room exit, she quickly walked to the dojo, slowing her steps once near enough to get a cold feeling.

Walking cautiously into the dark room, Kagome was on full alert. The door closed behind her, claiming her attention long enough for her attacker to make his presence known. With a right-handed cartwheel, the first attack was avoided. Kagome stood in the dark, listening for the sounds of the other person in the room. Hearing a small whisper of silk to her left, she ran to her right to the weapons rack to extract the nearest weapon to her, a staff.

Gripping the staff tightly, she lunged into battle, blocking two attacks from her opponent before getting her own in. flipping backwards; she missed the low swipe of a sword. She now stood silently in the shadows waiting, she heard the whisper of the blade as it was drawn into a stance somewhere off to her right, before the rustle of silk and metal affirming that her attacker wielded the blade with his left hand and was slinking towards her.

She swung her staff in a clockwise motion, giving enough time for the other youkai to reach her before the weight of her weapon reached him. She heard a crick and a grunt of pain before the torches in the room kindled themselves, showing her what she already knew; Seto was her opponent and he had a dislocated shoulder.

"Are you alright?" she asked him as he shoved the appendage into its place. He looked up at her, his crimson eyes approving.

"Yeah, I'll live" he replied before stepping towards her, "That block though was a bit choppy, remember you have to hold it firmly on both ends, not near the middle"

"Yes my enemies will use it against me teeter me off to one side" she said with a nod while fixing her grip on the staff. It felt so much different fighting in the light than in the darkness. In the dark she had to rely on her other senses rather than her eyes to find her opponent and to fight. Fighting in the light made her feel more vulnerable, there was no darkness to slip into to recuperate slightly and make a plan of attack, your enemy could always see you and you them.

"Are you ready again?" he asked while readying his weapon, she nodded her head and began twirling the staff dangerously overhead.

***

Lord Sesshoumaru, Ruler of the Western Realms of Japan, sat proudly atop his stallion as his entourage journeyed to the South. It had been two days of travel so far; the journey was almost complete. They were to stay in the south for at least another two weeks, (depending on how quickly the proceedings of the meeting went) before leaving for his home once again.

He found himself wondering, more times than he'd like, to whether it was the best decision to have Kagome continue her training. Although it seemed like something that she personally wanted to do for reasons for herself, it still felt like it was something _Naraku_ wanted. Still he had not given his consent of the prospect so there was still time.

It was difficult to tell whether or not the fiend was working through her, but he knew for a fact that he would come to get her. Knowing Naraku, he wouldn't be too keen in letting a new and potentially destructive weapon be kept away from, him or be used against him. Keeping her locked away was the best alternative, but he knew how that would turn out.

He wondered though, what methods would the twins use to keep her in their sights and reaches at all time? What would they deem as the most effective way? A small knot formed within him at the prospect of them training her. He knew for a fact that that was the best method; it kept her with and protected by them, and it also taught her how to protect herself.

Her safety was all that mattered at the moment, for if she were to be once again at the hands of the hanyou Naraku, he dared not think of what hell would befall the land. She was powerful, deadly and untamed: a very bad combination.

It head been at least a month since she had traveled with him to his home, that month had been a roller coaster of things going awry and changes. He had to admit though, that it was a bit refreshing, an interesting changes from normal routine. Though he had gotten less work done, it had been slightly entertaining.

Kagome, his thoughts once again straying to the dark female, she was beautiful- he would admit it, for denying would be telling a lie, and he had honor, lying was beneath him. Yes she was beautiful, dark and dangerous. She looked different than when she was human, she looked more mature, wilder, more enchanting.

She acted differently also, it seemed that becoming a demon had given her more of a sense of self-preservation. Though she wasn't tactless and brash in battle when she was human, it appears that her change gave her a sort or refining, she lessened her gauge time in training, and she determined more in such a small time. That could also be associated with her newfound instincts.

The Lord internally shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thoughts of the assassin under his care. He had noticed that with the month, he had not heard anything about the heinous hanyou Naraku. It was curious indeed that the half-ling had yet to reclaim his property, but then again, it was in the hanyou's nature to do what one least expected.

The thought made the fine hairs on the back of Sesshoumaru's neck bristle; what if the hanyou was using this time to recover from the last attack and wait until he, Sesshoumaru was not in any near distance to his domain, protecting the creature, to strike and retrieve his stolen weapon.

Though Naraku wasn't one to do what one thought him to do, sometimes he did the expected, catching his opponent off-guard, thus guaranteeing him what he wanted. Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Western Realms, could only hope that this was not one of those times.

***


	11. Chapter 11

Hi hi!! I'm sorry I'm late with this, I had just posted it on Dokuga, and I wanted over there to be up to par before I made any new updates. I can say, this chapter was supremely difficult to write. I think it may have been that I had stopped in the middle of it all that time ago and I had to force myself into the groove of things.

Ah well, enjoy!

Chapter 11

Kagome and Seto stood in the field separating the main building from the dojo. They were going over katas that they had made up together, perfecting the movements.

"So, it's a downward arc into a left sideswipe followed by a roundhouse kick after you have gotten out of the flip" Seto commented while demonstrating the movements.

"Yeah," Kagome returned while hopelessly pushing her bangs from before her face.

The time had gotten really cold really quickly, having been at least a week and a half since Lord Sesshoumaru had left for the seminar he was required to attend. Every inch of grass was smothered with the powdery and sometimes crystalloid ice, except for the internal gardens, which was where Rin and Shippo now spent their free time since they were not allowed outside the castle walls until their lord returned.

A gust of icy wind blew by, lifting Seto's ponytail over to the left and turning his cheeks a rosy pink. Kagome simply turned her back to the gust, allowing it to ruffle her unruly looking mane further. As the locks wrapped around her face once more, Kagome glimpsed her Sensei fusing his power into his weapon, thus making the kata deadlier and slightly more difficult, the sight inadvertently got the panther thinking over her new form once more.

She had happened across Sesshoumaru and Kaori sparring the morning he had left. It had been wonderful to witness the way he fought first-hand. It appeared to be a deadly dance, each of his opponents moves already selected by him; he was in ultimate control. It left her breathless and unhappy as she had instantly remembered from reading a text that demon males would sometimes spar with a female to determine if she would be a strong mate. To say that that moment had been a killjoy was an understatement. She had turned and left as quickly as she had come before coming across Seto and Sato sparring in another room of the dojo, it was then she had realized that each of those youkai had a unique power trait.

Sesshoumaru had his dokkassu, or power/acid whip, Kaori had her "Soaring Gauntlet"; which was a powerful earth attack, Sato had her "Fatal Inferno" a fire wave that could be nulled by Seto's water/ice attack the "Hollow Tide".

She, Kagome, had none and it made her feel slightly inadequate and weak, not that she was really sure why. She had spoken with the twins about it and they had been just as equally perplexed, because it was normally a gift or talent per say that all youkai possessed. She had then wondered if it were because she had been made into a demoness and not born as one that she didn't have this certain normal characteristic, they weren't sure.

It was then after hearing and understanding that she had come to the full realization that if Sesshoumaru was even remotely attracted to her, as she seemed to be about him, that there was no way that he would ever consider her as his mate. She was not a pure youkai born from youkai parents; she was a human who had been made into a youkai to be used as a weapon by the man's enemy. If that wasn't reason enough, then it would have to be that she wasn't strong enough and she would never be strong enough to even compare to Kaori or any other female youkai. She hadn't the potential nor the skill. And if that wasn't the reason, it could be that Lord Sesshoumaru did not want a warrior as a partner, maybe he preferred a graceful demure courtier who new the way of the court and what was expected of her, not a stumbling outspoken ninny who could not keep herself out of trouble. No matter how it was looked at, Sesshoumaru would never even think to give her the time of day, and what was worse was that she also just happened to be turned into a cat demon, archenemies of all dogs.

The world was against her.

Kagome was so deep in her depressing thoughts that she had not heard nor felt when the twins came upon her. Seto knew when she was thinking on the subject of her absent powers because the panther always looked longingly at one of her palms, mainly the right one, there was always a change in her aura also, it would dim before snuffing out completely. He always found her aura change confusing but never said a thing.

Sato walked closer to the other female and motioned for him to leave, sighing and shrugging, he did just that; obviously there was more going on than he knew. He knew that Kagome confided in his sister more than she did him, because as it was, Sato was a girl and girls understood other girls better than any guy ever would.

Sato hugged Kagome's limp form from behind, giving the girl the comfort she needed in her depressed state. She knew that when Kagome thought on the subject of her powers, her thoughts almost always turned to their Lord, Sesshoumaru. For Kagome had unconsciously grown attracted to the handsome demon, not that she blamed her.

"Its ok Kagome, it's going to be fine." She whispered to the distraught girl who had begun to silently cry her unscented tears.

"No, its not" she sobbed, completely breaking down in the woman's embrace; something no other has ever seen. "I am forever going to be tormented by this while he is going to continue to live and eventually find a mate and I shall forever be the woman he saved out of honor because she didn't know how to protect herself. I shall die of the heartache." She moaned pitifully.

"Come let us go to the library and talk there" Sato suggested. The distraught girl nodded slowly before allowing herself to be led.

o0o

Naraku sat upon the Tami mat in his sparsely decorated sitting room thinking. It had been at least two lunar cycles, two lunar cycles in which his newly acquired demoness was taken from him. In these two cycles, he had perfected the art of changing humans to demons and now he wanted her back. He needed her for his plans but she was safely tucked away under the care of the Western Lord, and that annoyed the evil half demon deeply within his core.

Though, when thought about, her presence in the Western Citadel could be used to the advantage of the evil hanyou. He could bring about the fall of the Western Lord, but his only problem was that he had no possible way of manipulating her from where he was; he had not gotten that far in her transformation before she was ruthlessly snatched from under him.

She would be fully transformed now, but she would also be a very useless basic youkai with no special capabilities and a few other flaws. She was already difficult to manipulate because of her realization that her being should be that of a human and not a demon, she also knew that he was evil and she was supposedly a child of good. He also was at a disadvantage of not knowing what other knowledge the Western Lord had decided to impart upon her.

This would be tricky indeed.

He needed to get her back within his 'care'. She was his goddamnit! His to manipulate, his to break, his to use, his to destroy. He intended to get her back, break her to his will all over again and use her in his plot of ultimate power.

o0o

It wasn't that Kagome wanted someone to feel sorry for her, no that was not the case, that was never the case. It was just a matter of her not knowing what to do about her predicament. And the not knowing was frustrating. All she knew relied on this knowledge she didn't know.

And as confusing as that was, it was true.

After spending more than half the afternoon in the library speaking freely with Sato under a cloaking spell, Kagome was infinitely frustrated. She already came to the conclusion that her not being able to harness any powers on her own was due to the fact that she was an artificially created demon, but what boggled her, and if what everyone was saying about her original form was true, then she should not currently be a demon.

How was it possible to create a demon from a human? A fully grown one at that. What kind of sorcery was needed to perform such an act? She recalled being forced to drink some vile liquid, but that was just about the extent of her knowledge on the subject.

Was it possible that a kind of potion had been made? If that was the case as it seemed to be; what ingredients were needed to create such a thing? She didn't recall seeing anything out of the ordinary before the vile liquid, then again, she really didn't remember much else than becoming ill in his 'care' and having that woman in the red and white garbs give her the substance to swallow.

As usual, the all too familiar headache came with her trying to figure out anything that came before Naraku. It was becoming quite the annoyance, but it was something she would have to continue to deal with until they found some way to reverse whatever had been done to both her and Shippo.

Her thoughts instantly shifted to the little kitsune that looked to her for guidance like one would an older sibling. She once again (for probably the millionth time) how they came to be, how did they know each other before the abduction, so much so that he would be comfortably hidden in her hair. Were they from the same village? Did she know his parents? Where were his parents? They were kitsune, shouldn't they have been able to track him down?

Was it possible that he had none? That he was orphaned and left in her care? B ut how could that be? She was a human before now, why would youkai willingly leave their young in the hands of a human? Kagome frowned at her line of thought, maybe she had found him? It seemed to be the only thing that made sense in their cases, but there was no way for her to know if she was right or not, she still had no memories, and Sesshoumaru wasn't here.

She sighed as her thoughts once again retreated to the uncomfortably comfortable topic of the demon lord. She was tired of trying to find ways to not think of him, but that was utterly impossible, everything reminded her of him in some way, and she meant _everything_, it was his home she resided in at the moment after all.

Though his scent had all but faded in the hallways since he wasn't here to renew his scenting of the area, she still imagined it. She truly felt utterly pathetic. The be pining after this male when she knew that there would be no way for him to return the feelings as everything pointed him in the direction away from her.

She wasn't one to wallow, or at least she hoped that she wasn't one to wallow, and she didn't want to start now, so she would purposely steer her mind away from the dangerous topic lest she force herself into depression again for the millionth time that day. She was sure Sato wanted some peace away from her sobbing presence.

She attempted to once again meditate on her supposed purpose. She had been in the middle of her training at Naraku's stronghold, she wasn't particularly sure of purpose of the training, only the nature. Kagura had been trying to get her to attack on impulse, just attack without much thought going into it. She had claimed that it was to help harness her instincts and that was in a demon's nature, to follow ones instincts. But Kagome knew that Kagura was trying to get her to not care about her opponent, not care about their life to the point that it wouldn't matter if she had struck them down, ultimately that was the goal after all.

She sighed and slumped in her seat, what does Naraku want with her? Maybe he was trying to exact revenge, did she know him before he abducted her? It was possible and should not be something ruled out, after all Sesshomaru knew her, knew her from when she was human, and Sesshomaru knew Naraku, hated him, so it was possible that she had known Naraku also. And if this is anything to go by then he was always evil.

Now she just had to figure out what he wanted with her, she wasn't naïve enough to believe that he was just done with her because she was with Sesshomaru now. No, that didn't seem to be Naraku's style. She believed that he was just biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike and possibly try to take her back.

Although she was still unfamiliar about a lot of things, Kagome knew one thing and she knew it well; she did not under any circumstances want to go back to Naraku.

o0o

It had been at least one lunar cycle without correspondence from her master, she was starting to wonder if things were going well or if there was need for a small detour to find out for herself. It was unlike him to not send word after a few weeks, two at the most. So this in itself was strange.

She wondered if he had gone into hiding, it was possible, but then again, he was not one to do someone without letting her know what her current orders would be for the duration.

As it stood, she was still supposed to observe the demon lord and fit into his household. It had taken a bit of time and trying, but she was now one of the lords few servants, and had even passed the preliminary period, which comprised of her being under constant scrutiny by all, even the young Lady Rin.

During that time she had to watch herself and ensure that she wasn't found out for the sneak that she was. It hadn't been easy, she also had had to do many a task to demonstrate her worthiness, and she had persevered.

Barely.

If Lord Sesshomaru hadn't gone off to fight with the evil hanyou Naraku, she most likely would have been sent packing. She thanked the Kami's for small mercies, though she highly suspected that the Kami's didn't care for tainted beings such as herself.

Currently, she was doing the self-appointed task of watching that new youkai, Kagome. She was under heavy guard, as well as she should be. There were a lot of stories going around about the girl, most stating that she isn't really youkai, or at least she wasn't. if that last new moon was anything to go by.

The girl wasn't all that special; she was just really stealthy and fast, almost as fast as the lord himself. Then again it was a trait all panther demons are borne with and harness. The fact that she wasn't born a panther made no difference to the youkai. She would just have to observe and wait for word from her master.

o0o

Kagura circled the Western Compound undetected once again, she was trying to find a way in but that was proving difficult. She wasn't really here to do anything, but surveillance.

So far, the guard shift changes were impeccable. It seemed that they had been tested enough times to take even their shift changes seriously. She had no doubt that the Lord himself possibly got rid of a few in the most gruesome way ever to get his point for perfection across.

That only made her job more difficult.

She made sure to keep the wind blowing her scent away from the youkai below her, and though she had no control over the weather itself, she could tweak her wind control to make clouds, or fog as the case may be. It all came down to how cold the surrounding area was, and currently she was hiding herself behind a thick enough cloud to see but not be seen.

She didn't see what was so special about the miko herself that Naraku would want to go out of his way to erase her memories and lock away her powers to turn her youkai. The way she saw it, she could have taken a perfectly normal human and he wouldn't have had to go through all that trouble.

She figured he liked the challenge of the situation, but she also thought that he was just trying to make a point to his adversaries. Whichever it was, it was making her life a living hell and she hated it.

Almost as much as she hated him for making it so, no nothing could dampen or reduce her hatred for the being that made her what she was, the Halfling Naraku. He didn't have to create her, she would have been happy with being a cell in his disgusting body, she wouldn't have known any better and wouldn't have been used to do things she didn't want to.

Blinking away from her wandering thoughts, she watched the garden below her, watching as the human child Rin and the kitsune Shippo played with each other. They were unaware of the dangerous presence that could very well threaten their lives at any point today. Blissfully unaware.

She just needed the panther to make an appearance so she could leave and report back to Naraku with her findings, then spend the day doing whatever hell else she wanted to do.

Sango stood on the little knoll overlooking the village. It had been about two lunar cycles since the abduction of their miko friend Kagome, and barely over one since they relocated to the village of Edo after their search for the girl proved unsuccessful. Telling the Miko council had not been easy, but it had been a necessary obstacle.

They had been told to stay at the village of Edo until further notice. After handing over the few shards of the jewel that they had tracked down in the short time they had Kagome, they had made the trip back to the village. The trip took longer as they all were wallowing in their own forms of self pity for losing the girl they had sworn to protect.

o0o

Sango sighed despondently, she felt that she shouldered most of the blame as she could have been there when Kagome had been captured, possibly preventing the loss of the miko and kitsune. She should have gone with them to the spring when Kagome had asked, should have gone to bathe and spend time with her friends.

If only she had gone, Kagome would probably still be with them right now, her and Shippo giggling at some unseen joke. They could just simply be chatting with one another, sharing their life's goals and dreams and wishes.

Instead she was here, wishing her friend back, wishing her safe, hoping that the Kamis spared her and Shippo. Hoping that they would see each other soon. Sango sighed again, this one sounding more dejected than the last, before she turned into the small outcropping of trees behind her to try and meditate.

Miroku watched Sango from his perch on the dry well in a clearing by the village. It pained his heart to see her so down, and he hurt even more because he knew that there was nothing in his power that he could do to help her.

Currently, Kagome and Shippo were lost to them. Swiped from beneath their noses. It only served to show the monk just how unprepared they were to have any new members to their group, especially one as important as her. But that was not what he was to be worried about now.

His group's defences can always be fixed, the group mindset thought, had to be restored before any of that would happen however. After all, what good is a new defensive manoeuvre if half the group were half-assing it because the ones they were defending was dead in their eyes? It would not do.

Miroku made a resolution to himself, he was going to lift the group's spirits if it was the last thing he did.

o0o

So now things are progressing, we possibly have a new villain other than Naraku, who is this 'Master' person, and who is their slave that's infiltrated the castle?

Ah, the plot thickens once again.

I've once again found my direction and I hope to have Chapter 12 out by Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed!

Thanks for dropping by!

-sora


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Sato stood in the open air of the courtyard seemingly staring into space. She had her head tipped backwards while she gazed into the clouds. One would think that she was trying to make shapes from them; her mind however was far from the sudden cloud-cover.

She had noticed for a while now, since the random fog had rolled in of course, that there was a figure within the mist like substance, using its density to hide them from view. She didn't know what or whom it was that that just made her even more aware of where her current charge was supposed to be.

Whoever was hovering above their location was obviously not a friend.

Currently, Kagome was meditating in the library where she had left her to her own devices. Just to be on the safe side, she had also honed in to where both Young Lady Rin and Young Master Shippo were, and they were both with Yume getting prepared for dinner. All the vulnerable were where they should be.

She had already alerted the guards stationed by the gates and outposts of the possible threat, but also told them to be mindful of the fact that whatever it was had not made any moves to state its motives or whether or not it _intended_ to fight. But it was just safest if they were aware and on guard.

She thought it highly suspicious of a lone person randomly hovering over the shiro for quite the length of time that it had, her only possible conclusion was that they were taking surveillance, it would be best to have them realize that trying anything would be futile as all the guards were alert, able and ready. And she, Sato, was ready to convey that by any means necessary.

Nodding to the general standing by her, she turned to walk back inside, to make preparation just in case their watcher decides to take action.

o0o

It was tiresome for him to be here, there was absolutely no reason for him to be at this so-called forum. He had found this little piece of information a tad bit too late. It had been at least one cycle of the moon, in his opinion he had been here one cycle too long. The conference was just about finished, only the closing rites and celebration was left. He had already decided to leave before that long drawn out process.

He would not be missed as it was widely known that he was not one for all the pomp and posturing that the other royals insisted upon. Looking out his window, Lord Sesshoumaru glanced to the mountain ranges that signified the start of his land, his mind once again on the newly transformed panther under his protection.

He had yet received word of anything amiss so it was safe to say that nothing had gone wrong in his absence so far. He only hoped that it kept up at least until he was on his grounds again so in case anything _did_ happen, he would be there at the helm to stop whatever it was from happening.

He wondered if she was ok, and how she was coping with his lack of presence. He had long ago decided that those errant thoughts were because he saw her as friend and vice versa so it was or should be normal to have them. He himself had adjusted somewhat shakily to not having her around. He had gotten so used to her presence and scent that it was difficult at first to be without it.

It had taken him three arduous days to snap himself out of that despair that had plagued him mildly because of their separation. He was now willing to admit (to a select few of course) that he missed the girl, however odd and unusual the sentiment was to him. He had grown attached to her. That night when he had divulged the story of his ward to her, and put her under his protection, had bonded his beast to her. They knew each other's secrets, well technically he knew hers and she knew of one of his, it wouldn't be prudent after all to reveal his inner most desires and thoughts to woman he barely met two cycles ago, who also just underwent a transformation to become demon and also happened to have been rescued (by himself) from his hated enemy's stronghold.

That would not have been wise at all.

Turning his head to the entrance of the room where a knock had just sounded, he tucked his thoughts away for another time. It was soon time for him to return to his home.

o0o

_The night felt odd, cold. Not cold physically, as that was quite normal at the current time. But it was a foreboding cold. She wondered what it meant. She had been woken out of dead sleep. Not a great feat mind you, but there has to be something to trigger such a reaction and currently her preliminary post-wake observations were turning up with nothing._

_She looked about the room; it was dark, that wasn't a problem as it _was _nighttime. Something however, was wrong. There was something there that she couldn't quite see or hear. She just felt a presence._

_Sitting up, her right hand rested over her heart, an attempt to protect or calm herself, she wasn't sure. But she realised that whatever it was that she was about to face, she would be facing alone. Another scan turned up nothing and she was tempted to take it at face value and go back to the realm of dreams but decided against it. She liked her life._

_There was a ripping of air beside her head before she felt a searing pain upon her back. A scream tore through her throat at the shocking pain as she crumbled forward. She could feel it. There was something _rippling_ through the skin of her back, going down into the muscle and raising it._

_Kagome tried to rip free of invisible bonds but there was nothing, no attacker, no weapon, and no help. She was in pure agony, but refused to voice it, since that initial cry she had clamped her mouth shut, digging her sharp canines into her lips and tongue to try and distract her from whatever she was encountering._

_Tears poured from her eyes as the pain lasted well on into the night, before as abruptly as it had begun, it stopped, leaving her gasping for breath as the relief she felt was over her. Stumbling gracelessly out of the bed she crawled to the vanity and shed her sleep garment._

_Her skin was red and raw from her shoulders and sides, turning she almost winced at what she saw. Kagome had expected rivers of blood or ripped flesh, but instead what she encountered was what seemed like a tattoo, or a raised black outlined bruise in the shape of a skulking snake starting from the back of her neck and worming its curved body down to her twitching tail._

_The door opened before she could re-robe herself, showing Sora walking in ready to start her daily rituals. The young redhead screamed in terror at the site, which only led the panther to believe that whatever was now on her flesh was not a good sign. _

_In a matter of moments, the Knights rushed in, weapons at the ready, Kaori in the lead only to also freeze at the site before them. A naked demoness was not an uncommon thing as they tended to forgo modesty of the body, and having markings was also not uncommon as the art of tattooing had just recently become popular among soldiers and some nobles, but to have an offensive design could be taken as a mark of treason._

"_I knew it!" Kaori bellowed, glaring fiercely at the still nude demoness. "You are in league with that filthy halfblood. Arrest her!"_

A sharp gasp tore through the room as Kagome shot up out of her bed. She frantically felt her body for any new bruises, bumps or anything in general. Feeling nothing, she tried to calm herself down, while pondering on the dream she just had. Her body shook from the intensity of the dream, her yukata stuck to her sweaty form; clinging in places she'd rather not have the material cling.

She wondered for a moment if it were a memory, but as she had no such marks upon her body now, she could only assume that it wasn't. The fact that Kaori, Seto, Sato and Sora were in it was of little consequence as she believed that if she possibly knew Sesshoumaru before her abduction, it was possible that she had been in their presence also before.

Sighing soundly, she wondered what it meant. If it was a sign of things to come or if it was her overtaxed mind conjuring images to keep her on edge. Either way she didn't like it and silently vowed to not go to sleep until she either came to the bottom of the mystery it held or until lord Sesshoumaru retuned and she could pose it to him.

Whichever one came first, she would stick to her vow. After all she was a demoness, she did not need to sleep every night as she had been but she stuck to it because it was one thing she remembered doing while human, well remembered would be a strong word to use, it would be more like something her body was obviously used to doing.

Getting out of her bed, she washed her face in the basin by her bed and left her room, determined to find something to aid her cause.

o0o

Inuyasha sat currently in one of the higher branches of the God Tree, the time had passed so quickly and it made him feel all the more shameful. It had been two cycles, two cycles of them not doing a thing to retrieve or look for leads for the two missing persons of their group.

He felt like a failure. He let everyone down, he let the Council down, he let his group down, he let Kaede down and more importantly, he let Kagome down. Granted, they hadn't spent much time together as a group, and they hadn't always been on the best of terms (due to the necklace he currently sported and the fact that she just happened to be the one in charge of his motor functions at times) but they were a group.

A team.

And he let them down.

Looking up at the moon, he sighed deeply, if Shippo were here, he'd tell him to stop brooding, and he, in retaliation, would most likely throw something at the little runt to shut him up. And in retaliation to that, Kagome would sit him, scold them and tell them both to apologise to the other.

"Kami, I miss her" he murmured, before making a silent vow to find them and never let them out of his sight again.

o0o

It had been a little over five days before the arrival of Lord Sesshoumaru and Kagome had kept her vow. She had holed herself in the library under a mountain of scrolls, not leaving unless to eat, or take a quick bath before sealing herself in the book room again.

No one knew the true reason for her odd behaviour, they only knew that it coincided with a night terror she had five days prior and had resolved herself to never sleep again. Lord Sesshoumaru had found it odd, when she wasn't on hand to greet him as he thought she would have been, but after finding out her new resolution, he had made it his priority to see that she was indeed healthy, unharmed and most importantly, still within his castle.

Upon entering the annex, he was bombarded with the strong concentration of her scent. It was faint on the landing outside the door, but once you entered, it was easy to see that she had not really moved for a bit of time.

"Kagome, will you not greet me?" He inquired, startling her out of her heavy reading. She stood quickly and looked at him, before all but barrelling into his body in a hug that would leave humans gasping for air.

Sesshoumaru, for his part, was shocked, he had never thought that she would have reacted so strongly to his presence, but decided that it must have had to be a mixture of anxiety and relief that propelled her. Prying her away from his person, he sat them both down on nearby cushions, and gazed at her.

"I apologise for not being in the welcome party," she murmured, "I hadn't realized your arrival."

"So I've noticed. Tell me, what has gotten you so spooked?" he asked, he only knew of the barest of details that she had circulated. She looked up at him almost sadly before telling him in great detail what she could remember about her dream all those nights ago. When that was done, she proceeded to tell him what she thought it may or may not mean and what the scrolls she had been reading told her.

Sesshoumaru looked at her for a moment, before looking out the window. He didn't know what to make of the dream the girl had; snakes were not really that offensive, except when speaking of treachery and treason.

It made him pause though, that she recounted that the image was on _her_ body. Her back to be precise. He wondered at what it meant, ones back usually signified a past action to be shameful of or something to create a feeling of remorse.

_A snake on her back_ he thought, he noticed her pinched features, as she waited for his words, waited to hear what she had been hoping for a week to hear. He stood abruptly and left the room, sending a command for her to follow behind him.

They walked up the stairs to his study to see Kaori, Seto and Sato waiting for them by the far wall. All three bowed as he entered and sat behind his desk. Turning to Kaori, he posed a question.

"Has there been any word, sightings or rumours of Naraku or his followers while I have been away?"

She nodded stiffly, "Yes, My Lord. We believe that the Sorceress of the Wind was seen doing recognisance a few days ago." She replied, discreetly eyeing Kagome who stood a little ways behind their Lord. She couldn't help but wonder what she was doing there, but knew better than to question.

Sesshoumaru noticed the object of Kaori's gaze, but chose to ignore it; he had more pressing matters at hand. "She has done nothing else?" he queried and received a short shake of the head in response. He nodded and turned to the twins, "I want everyone to ensure that there are no places of entrance or escape that are not manned. I will not take any chances"

The two nodded and swiftly exited, leaving the three alone. "Sesshoumaru-Sama?" Kagome asked almost timidly, in truth her mind was working over time. He turned to her and she took it as a signal to continue, "What's happening?" she asked in a soft tone that meant business.

"Naraku is coming back for you." Was all he said, it was all he needed to say and Kagome was terrified.

o0o

Short chapter but it couldn't be helped. If I hadn't stopped here, the chapter would then become overly long and it would ruin the build up of suspense. I already have Chapter 13 planned and partially written so I hope this will tide you over until then.

Thanks for all the reviews guys, they may not be many, but they mean a lot. Your words encourage me :) Especially **Darkness living in Hope**, thanks!!

Thanks for stopping by!

-sora


	13. Chapter 13

Hello once again my friends, new chapter w00t! This one is dedicated to _**Gothichime89**_ have funnnnnn

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Inuyasha and Co. unless by affiliated you mean _**deeply involved **_with Sesshoumaru-Sama then yes, I am affiliated. _**Very**_ affiliated lol.

Chapter 13

Two weeks to the day that the words had been said, found the Twins and Kagome at a neighbouring village, helping with relief efforts for the now decimated town. There had been a spate of recent attacks on the villages nearest to the shiro. All able bodied had left to aid in the ways they could.

No one thought that this would have been the perfect time to capture a certain distracted panther. Sesshoumaru was currently with Kaori overseeing the rebuilding of a village south of them, which had been the one hit worse and was using the most efforts to get back underway. It was the hub of trade for the castle, the main marketplace for the bustling staff, so that made it a major priority.

The three had been working tirelessly for the past three days to first evacuate the women and children from the burning buildings, then aiding the village men to smother the flames. Now they were sorting through the rubble to ensure that there had been no casualties, so far so good.

The scent of smoke and charred wood and other substances was thick in the air. It coated everything, leaving it in a dirty hazy fog. None noticed when miasma began to mingle with the fumes, it wasn't until a few of the villagers began to faint or collapse that they knew something was wrong.

Leading them to a clearing nearby to cleanse their systems of the toxic vapours, Seto scanned the area. He knew something had followed them but he wasn't entirely sure what it was. Hearing an abrupt clanging of metal behind him, he turned to see his sister holding off an approaching arc of energy.

He cursed himself for not noticing it but then decided to think on it later as whatever was with them had gotten hostile. No sooner had he drawn his swords, a legion of lower levelled youkai swarmed them. The sheer number and their dwarfed senses alerted them that it would be nothing short of a miracle if they made it out of the situation alive.

Kagome looked over at the two she was beginning to see as friends and nodded at them. Simultaneously they launched into battle

.

o0o

Lord Sesshoumaru knew something was going to happen the moment he had left his personal chambers that morning three days ago. There had been more than enough ominous clues to hint that something would not go favourably and for once in his life, he wished he had been wrong.

It had started out with word that the village that served as trade post and main marketplace for his castle had been attacked and ravaged by rouge demons. That had been followed shortly and in staccato by words that all the villages nearest to them were in a lesser state of disrepair and was requesting aid immediately.

He had dispatched his squadron of Knights to the surrounding area (Kagome included as she would not allow a moment to pass where she hadn't all but begged to help before he caved (_reluctantly agreed_ he thought almost sourly)) and he himself had accompanied his general and her troops to the marketplace.

One would think it stupid that he hadn't gone with the squadron that Kagome accompanied to ensure her safety, but he had put her in the very capable hands of the twins, who he knew without a doubt would protect her with their lives. He knew that he had had nothing to be worried about as she would be safe with them.

So why was he feeling that ill-omened feeling once more?

Tilting his head backwards, he sniffed tentatively to see if he could pinpoint anything that could tell him what he wanted to know. The faint traces of soot and coal that were faintly comingled with scents not from this village told him what he had already known. The village they were helping had been burnt to the ground.

He had not found anything to portray anything else, but he was not completely sure that there was nothing to worry for. Looking behind him, he saw Kaori scanning the skies to see if anything was amiss. That done, she looked to him and shook her head once, he nodded slightly in response and dismissed her.

Though they had sensed nothing in the immediate area, it did nothing to dampen the feeling he had. He was torn between going to his Knights to see if anything was indeed amiss, and staying with the village to show them that as their Lord he would provide for them in their time of need.

He was torn between duties, both in which he was honour-bound, compelled to carry out. He was torn between his duty to his soldiers and his duty to his people. After a long moment, he made his decision. Turning to Kaori, he barked a new order; he would see to the village, he would have faith that everything was okay.

o0o

A grunt to the left coupled with a shill shriek of pain advised Seto that his sister had seen the oncoming oni that threatened her and had dispatched it accordingly. He glanced to his right to see how Kagome was faring and nodded to himself as she took out three lizards with a sweep of her sharpened blade.

They seemed to be holding their own against the unassumingly massive army that they were facing. The more they dispatched the foul beasts, more came to take its place. They were tiring, he knew, they had been working nonstop for just about three days with minimum breaks to get the village back on its feet as quickly as possible. None of them had fathomed a surprise attack, thought he realized belatedly, that it was bound to happen.

A cry from his sister broke his train of thought as he turned to see her clutching a shoulder as blood ran a red river down her arm. She glared at the smirking youkai facing her before using the scythe in her right hand to twirl an attack that spoke his doom. He could not avoid it and perished shortly after.

She buckled slightly, and Seto rushed to her, chopping down those in his wake to reach his beloved sibling. He worked double time to rid them of the beasts immediately surrounding them, momentarily forgetting about Kagome who was holding her own on the other side of the clearing.

"What are you _doing_?' she scolded, pressing her palm into the open wound to stop the blood flow.

"Saving your hide, it seems" he replied breathlessly cutting down another that dared to get too close.

"Forget that, where's Kagome?" she asked looking through the sea of corpses and blood to try to find their other companion.

"She's just over there" he replied grunting as his sword caught purchase within another youkai.

"Over where? I don't see her" she replied, joining the fray again, albeit more reservedly.

Seto looked to where he had last saw the fighting panther and stilled in dread, his blood ran cold.

She was gone.

o0o

The castle was abuzz with activities, sending men to assist the village relief, sending supplies and food and continuing with the day to day activities of the shiro. Rin and Shippo had been sent off to their lessons as per usual to try and take their minds from the fact that both Kagome and Sesshoumaru were gone. They tried to lighten their spirits by reminding each other that they had gone to help the villagers and would be back soon.

A pair of eyes watched everything with veiled disinterest. She was only here for one thing after all, and currently that one thing was no longer in the shiro. Clutching a basket of silks in her arms, she continued the ruse of aiding and doing housework. She was sure that no one had noticed that this was the third time that she was making a trip across the corridors of the main entrance hall as everyone was behaving just short of chickens without heads.

She was currently trying to find a way into the Lord's Chambers, or Study. Either one would be beneficial to her. She wasn't quite sure what she would do when she actually got in there, _if_ she actually got in there. Not many knew where the Lord's Chambers were, and it was only that select few that had access.

Not even the Lady Rin knew.

She figured that once she did happen to arrive there she would just look for any and everything that looked important. She still hadn't gotten any directives from her Master as yet; she was being led to believe that he was still in hiding. At least she hoped that was the explanation, and not that he had left her there to rot as a servant to the Western Lord.

She was pretty sure that she had not yet outlived her usefulness to him so it wouldn't be that he had left her alone. She didn't want to doubt her master, but when one was as cunning as him, you tended to be wary no matter what.

She had noticed the Wind Witch a few days prior, and noticed that it was not very long after that the villages nearest to the Western Shiro had gone into disarray. She wondered if the woman was responsible. She figured that she was but she wasn't too sure.

It may have just been a ruse to lure the protected panther into a trap and even she had to admit that it was brilliant and random. It was a tricky trap that once used had to be executed perfectly. There were no second chances with one such as that. There would never be an opportunity to do something of that calibre again, if it was one thing she noticed, the Lord of the West learnt from his mistakes.

o0o

Kagome sliced and parried blows from the youkai surrounding her, she hadn't gotten a moments peace since the beginning of the attack. She was tired; she had been working nonstop to try to get her mind off of the dream and its implications. She hadn't even slept before they begun their efforts at aid.

It must have been at least a week and a half since she had gotten any decent sleep at all and she was long overdue. Slashing at a snake that got too close, she spun her blade in an arc in an effort to dispatch a few to get a short amount of time to catch her breath before that swarm was replaced.

She hadn't even realized that she had been separated.

She jerked to the side to avoid what could have been a fatal blow; landing hard on her back, she was momentarily stunned. It was enough time necessary for a bear to try and flatten her weakened body into the soil.

She pushed against its weapon; sweat dripping from her brow as she fought to keep his blade from coming into contact with her neck. It seemed like a type of tug of war; where she would get the upper hand then a few seconds after, he would have it.

She was frustrated; she wondered why Seto or Sato hadn't come to cut down this beast as yet before she glanced quickly around. She grunted and slowly inched her foot up, trying to wiggle herself in a position to spring him off of her.

She wiggled her shoulders to get a better leverage with her hands as she brought her legs under his chest. She seemed to notice that the other youkai around them had paused to watch the outcome of the struggle and she had no doubt in her mind that if she managed to get him off of her, they would be next, jumping on her like a pack of wild animals on a carcass.

_I'm doomed_ she thought gloomily, before shaking her head and going back to the subject at hand. She had to find a way to get this creature off of her and gain her bearings before those hungry beasts charged her. The situation only served to remind her just how useless she was, as she had no way of creating any energy attacks to ward of her aggressors.

Forcing her mind once again to the present, Kagome inched her legs further up once more only to have it get stuck within the grimy ties of his hakama. Grimacing, she tugged at her leg again, pausing in thought as she heard a small almost unheard hiss from the mouth of her attacker.

Her mind started and she pulled her leg back as far as she could make it go before slamming it forward, straight into the crotch of the bear over her. The reaction was instantaneous, the bear rolled off of her, clutching his aching parts and whimpered in pain, the other youkai around watched, a bit more terrified than they were a few seconds before, none sure of the action to take since they were all very much male and she could easily do what she did to their partner to them.

With the lull, Kagome used to time to crawl forward on her knees and gasp for some much needed air, before proceeding to stand woozily and face the crowd once again. Gaining her bearings once again, she looked around the slightly spacious wooded area that she had retreated to. It didn't seem that far from the clearing, but with the group of youkai surrounding her, it may as well have been.

Seto and Sato were still at the other clearing she assumed, since they haven't come to her rescue as yet, and as much as she hated to admit it, she definitely needed rescuing. She wondered briefly if this was Naraku's way of trying to capture her, but let the thought drop as a few of the goons attacked her once more.

Her arms tingled wearily as she warded off attack after attack, they all seemed to be coming at her as one body now, and she knew that it wouldn't be too long until she was completely and utterly exhausted. She could only pray that help came on swift wings.

o0o

Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands froze cold in his steps as he followed Kaori deeper into the charred remains of his marketplace. Turning swiftly on his heel, he faced to the north of their position, the general direction of the village that Kagome and the Twins aided. Kaori turned after him, feeling the shift in his youki; she also knew that something was wrong. Her wings twitched in both irritation and anticipation, simply waiting for her Lord's orders.

Turning to look at his General, Sesshoumaru nodded once, "Tell the rest to continue here, our comrades need aid" was all he said before taking flight on his cloudlike materialization of youki. Kaori turned swiftly to relay her orders before she too took off, effortlessly meeting up with him in the sky.

Not soon after they landed in the village, it was void of all life, though the scent of humans, his troops, the twins and Kagome could still be smelt on the air. Sesshoumaru quickly deduced that the troops were aiding the villagers, since their scents comingled, while the Twins and Kagome had gone to the east of the once town.

Following their path, it became apparent their reasoning for leaving the village, it was too faint to detect back at the ruins, but the odour of poisonous miasma still lingered on the flora that they passed. Sesshoumaru's jaw clenched as he sped up his walk to breach the clearing that still housed the Twins, engaged in battle with a not so numerous swarm of lower youkai.

Quickly joining the fray, the rest of the throng was dispatched within minutes, leaving the two original fighters a little time to breathe. Though quick, their respite was enough for them to gain their footing and look to their Lord for direction.

"Where is Kagome?" he asked, they stiffened before slumping in remorse, feeling horrible for forgetting about their charge. It made no difference that all their lives had been in mortal danger, they all knew what was happening and it was not wise to leave her in a precarious position for a second.

Narrowing his eyes slightly at them, he sniffed once, singling out her muted scent before following it as best he could. The three fell in line behind him, wary of fact that anything could choose to attack them currently.

The sound of grunting, cries of pain and the clanging of sounds preceded the site of Kagome fighting tooth and nail to ward off her attackers. It was made apparent that the orders had indeed been to go after the panther as there was a lot more youkai here than at the clearing with the Twins.

Kagome fought hard, there was nothing more for her to do, she knew she would meet her end here today but she absolutely refused to just hand over her life to these beings. Snarling out her fatigue, she swung heavily in a horizontal parry, slicing a bear neatly in half while cutting off the swing from a lizard. Kicking the two from her, she glanced around to assess the situation, she almost collapsed in joy when she saw Sesshoumaru, Kaori and the Twins to her far left, but tried to not let it distract her.

It seemed that her effort was for naught because as soon as the four passed the last tree, they were attacked viciously. Using her distraction, the bear from earlier swung his club at the panther's back, knocking her out of her defensive manoeuvre and pitching her forward into the awaiting hands of an oni.

The woman's cry of pain halted all, as they watched as she tried to struggle from her captors, seconds later, even more youkai descended, their aim; to distract the new targets. Sesshoumaru snarled as he tried to fight his way to the epicentre of the battle where Kagome was being kept. No matter how quickly he destroyed what was before him, more came to avenge them. It made him frustrated to no end, how dare they try to take what was under his protection! They would pay!

An ominous wind blew by and all fighting ceased, the youkai by the far side of them parted to allow the void child entrance the occupants of the almost glade felt themselves unable to move as the 'child' made its way to the two brutes handling the miko turned panther.

Kagome tried to fight the effects of the white creature with the black soulless eyes; she didn't know what was happening but knew it could not be good. The mirror the she carried glowed iridescently before her image _appeared_ in it. She looked to the angry Demon Lord for assistance, but when he gazed at her, she didn't like what she saw. She tried to struggle more but it was of no use.

Tears trickled from her eyes as she heard the voice that sent a chill running down her back; "My Lord Naraku thanks you for taking special care of his pet, and he will be taking her back into his care now" she spoke before the child, Kagome and the oni holding her began to glow an angry purplish-black hue before they faded out of view. They saw Kagome struggle forward with a scream before she slumped into nothingness.

Sato gasped in horror at what had just occurred, when they finally regained use of the bodies, she ran forward futilely in an attempt to try and find the emptiness that they used to vanish. Sesshoumaru stood statue still, his eyes glared at all youkai present that had aided in the capture of the woman. With an angry roar, he performed the Dragon Strike, obliterating those not under his protection immediately.

Kaori shifted uncomfortably as her Lord's eyes bled red in rage as their worst fear was realised.

Kagome was gone, Naraku had taken her back.

o0o

There my friends, things have been set into motion. The next chapter is going to be a bit on the dark side, forgive me, but it wouldn't allow itself to be written any other way.

Thanks for those who paused in their lives to drop me a line, thanks for the feedback guys, the reviews mean a lot!

Reviews are love!

-sora


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you guys for reading and for your kind words. I apologize for it being a tad late, life got in the way and ensured that I had internet all weekend.

I just have one warning, this chapter contains a rape scene, it had to be written, and I apologize. It is a catalyst for things to come, it wasn't in the original outline for the story, hell half of the things I've put in here wasn't supposed to be in there lol, but the story likes to write itself sometimes. And this is one of those times.

So here's the chapter.

Chapter 14

The Hanyou Naraku stood in the courtyard of his newest stronghold, his disguise of a human daimyo perfectly in place as those around him watched his actions curiously. His newest 'army' of newly formed demons stood sporadically around the breezeway surrounding the courtyard on three sides, the fourth being enclosed by the gate. Before him, a dark cloud materialized causing those in attendance to gasp in different stages of shock and awe. Out of the cloud walked a small child of white, followed closely by a large rough looking oni holding a limp but female body in its dirty arms.

Naraku grinned deviously as he laid eyes on the precious cargo looking a bit worse for wear, but nothing a bit of rest couldn't fix. The void child walked right by him, without an inkling of propriety, making her way into the main hall. Naraku could care less what Kanna did with herself at the moment, he was still savouring the thought that he had taken the girl from the Lord of the West and just how livid said lord must be at the moment.

He felt giddy, like a small child getting a treat before he took the girl from the oni's arms and cradled her to his chest, after all it wouldn't do to appear cruel before his new court, he would wait until they were in the privacy of his new wing before he made any moves.

His mind was moving faster than he thought possible as he placed the woman on a futon, her form unmoving in her sleep. He smirked deviously at her and summoned Kagura, telling the witch to prepare a meal for when she awoke laced with the poison that would put her physically and mentally where he wanted her so that he could complete the process of creating his ultimate weapon.

Turning from the bed to sit in a corner, he waited.

o0o

The trio watched as their Lord lost control over his beast as the ramifications of the last few moments sank in, the inu was furious that the panther had been put in a position such as the one she had been in. he stalked the area, glaring at each of them and baring his fangs, showing his dominance and demanding their submission for their failure.

They spared no moment in baring their neck to their master, knowing that the beast would have no qualms whatsoever with dispatching them into the afterlife in any way it saw fit. They watched as he slowly regained himself, they were trusted enough to witness his loss of control.

"Come, we head back to the villages then the shiro, we have to make preparations for the days ahead." He ordered before walking back the way they came. He had no doubt whatsoever that Naraku was going to try to find some way to take over Kagome's mind and potentially use her against him; he wanted to make sure that all was done by way of protection of the shiro and the informing of all the inhabitants of the newest development.

It made no sense for him to try and find her location as he knew that Naraku was never one to stay in the same place for very long and it was never known just where the hanyou would appear next.

He clenched his jack once more at the thought of what Naraku could do to the panther that he saw as friend, he knew the half-breed was a devious and disturbed creature but he could only hope that Kagome was strong enough to not be overcome by him.

o0o

A groan forced its way through her lips before she realized that she was awake, her very skin throbbed and ached with any movement. Blearily opening her eyes, she took stock of her location, she was nowhere familiar.

Shooting up painfully from the futon she currently resided in, she searched frantically for any clue as to where she could be. Scanning a third time, her mind caught up to her and her last memories slammed into her like sprinting into a wall.

_My Lord Naraku thanks you for taking special care of his pet, and he will be taking her back into his care now_

Her heart clenched as she remembered what happened after that, Naraku had taken her. Searching the room anxiously again, her mind froze as she recognized that there was a figure in the darkened corner, red eyes gleaming with evil intention.

She swallowed numbly as she locked eyes with her worst fears personified, putting her tired body on high alert of him. He smirked at her before standing gracefully and moving towards her, eyes never leaving hers.

"Hello Kagome, we meet again" he crooned at her, liking the way she stiffened in fear his calling of her name. "You were taken from me quite brutally last time; I didn't even get to see if all my hard work had come to fruition. But no worries, I won't make the same mistake twice"

She watched warily as he sat by her on a cushion, a low table before him containing a porridge like substance that had no scent.

"Well have you nothing to say to me little one?" he asked innocently, she wisely kept her mouth shut, she didn't want him to have any way to either use her words against her or slip the non scented 'food' in her mouth, she remembered what happened the last time she ate from the Halfling.

"Well that's a shame; I was hoping we could catch up with each other. Well no matter, you need to eat then rest" he ordered, not liking the way her eyes gleamed in defiance. She folded her arms before her and glared into his eyes, pouring all of her hatred of him into her gaze.

"You will eat this," he said flatly, his voice gaining a bit of an edge that signalled his loss of patience with her.

"I will eat nothing" she replied boldly, forgoing her vow of silence around him. His eyes narrowed to crimson slits and his jaw clenched at her before he scooped up the bowl in his hands and brought it to her tightly closed mouth.

"You will have it, you ungrateful wench!" he snarled in her face, her eyes narrowed at the slur to her honour and in a fit of defiant rage, she slapped the ceramic bowl from his palm. It careened into the far wall and shattered, spilling its contents on the hardwood floor. He glared at her before taking hold of her neck.

Her hands instantly went to stop him to no avail. She scratched and clawed at his hand before he stood, taking her with him, and slammed her into the same far wall that her former bowl of what would have been food sat in mushy pieces. She glared her hatred at him and refrained from spitting it into his face also. As much as it seemed the contrary, she _did_ still have some sense of self-preservation.

She wasn't quite sure what he would do to her yet, and it was barely any time into their meeting so she would not push her luck. She still wanted to live after all.

"I save you, and this is how you repay me?" he asked 'hurt', her rage consumed her and she did spit in his face, before going into an almost rant. He glared at her then and tightened his hold, that did nothing to deter her however, her struggling was getting her nowhere he knew, but it was annoying, he needed to find a way to shut her up.

As he held her there by her neck against the far wall, he gazed at her in thought; so far, their reunion was not going as he had wanted. She still sought to defy him, throwing her protection by the Western Lord in his face and yelling shrilly that she knew he was an evil being and that she didn't belong with him.

Even now, as he held her life in his hands, she continued to spew about him kidnapping herself and Shippo from their homes and turning her into a wretched and useless being. He decided that it was time to take matters into his own hands. It seemed that to truly break her into doing what he wanted; he would have to physically break her.

Pressing his body harshly against her, he effectively stopped her rant, pulling a gasp from her at the same time. He knew she sensed the change in him immediately, and he smirked at her.

Seeing his sickening smirk, Kagome began to fight back in a whole new way. She couldn't let him do what she knew he was going to do to her. She had felt his heavy arousal against her when he pressed himself on her and knew that she had to find some way to get away from the crazy hanyou that threatened her in more ways than one.

"Let go of me, you filthy-" she began but he cut her off, pressing his hand further into her throat. She strained against him, fruitlessly trying to pry his grip from her windpipe. Her eyes widened as he used this distraction to begin working on her obi.

Tears pooled as she tried to struggle for breath. Her head hurt the pressure burning as she thrashed against his weight. She began trying to claw at his face in an effort to distract him from his current task, he was almost done with the knot on her obi, and she couldn't let him have his way with her.

He hissed at her, slapping her face once, it was enough to shock her into stillness. Feeling the pressure of her obi leaving her body, Kagome began to struggle anew; her efforts were once again thwarted as he spun her around on the wall and tore her kimono from her body, leaving her bare to him.

He pressed her face viciously into the frame of the tapestry that hung beside her as he loosened his hakama. She gritted her teeth as she felt him probe her entrance, the feeling alien and wholly unwelcome. Pressing himself against her, he positioned his cock and rested the head just at the parting of her nether lips. He held her body against him while he hissed in her hair.

"Do you want me to stop my pet?" she jerked against him in response, "Will you obey my every command?"

She growled at him, sealing her fate with three words. It could not have been helped; she refused to bow to his whim. It was just unfortunate that she didn't know just _how_ sadistic and cruel he could and would be.

"Go to _hell_"

"Very well" he purred before thrusting himself into her up to the hilt. She stiffened at the sudden intrusion and her eyes watered at the pain from both his dry, burning entrance and the harsh sting of the merciless breaking of her maidenhead. She felt him lodged within her, her pelvis hurt already.

She bit her tongue to stave off her torturous cry of pain as he began to move within her. Short jerking thrusts jarred her continuously against the wall; her tears ran freely now as her mind tried to get her away from where she was. She thought of Rin and Shippo, desperately trying to picture their smiling faces. When that didn't work she thought of the Demon Lord she had come to possibly love, but that train of thought immediately sent her drowning in a pool of self-loathing, self-pity and disgrace.

No matter what could have, would have, and may have happened between her and Sesshoumaru, there was no way that he would _ever_ want her now. She had been defiled, tainted, sullied by his most hated enemy.

A sob escaped her throat and it was all the incentive Naraku needed to pull out of her and throw her on the ground. Thinking that he had finished with her, Kagome began to crawl into a corner. She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry her sadness, but Naraku would have none of it.

"I am not quite done with you yet my pet," he cooed at her, pulling her back towards him by her leg. She began to thrash again; she _had_ to get out of there. She had to find her way from him; she had to get back to Sesshoumaru. He may not want her now, but she needed him.

Pulling her resisting body beneath him, he flipped her onto her back. She tried to lunge for him, but he smacked her back into the floorboards, jarring her head and stunning her momentarily. It was enough time for him to force himself back into her now moister folds.

Kagome gasped, she tried to fight him some more, but was rewarded with a few more slaps in retaliation. She knew that her lips were split and her cheek was bruised, but she didn't care. She swiped after him, and he thrust into her harshly, she cried out in pain and he pulled out of her again.

He quickly flipped her over this time, and grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her head back heavily; he both bared her neck to him and arched her back invitingly, the position causing her to inadvertently present her ass to him.

"So responsive" he purred, stroking her backside before holding it callously and forcing himself inside of her again. He pushed himself so deep that it jarred her knees off of the floor, he pulled out fully again and repeated the action. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut at each thrust. She hurt so much; she was tired.

Pulling out again, he began to wipe whatever juices that had naturally accumulated around the puckered hole of her ass. Feeling the even more foreign sensation she began to try and wiggle from beneath him. She was rewarded with a simultaneous forceful intrusion of his index finger and a rough tug on her hair. The two made her scream in pain and sob weakly. She refused to beg him however; she would not give into him.

She would rather he kill her.

He pushed her head towards to floor, toppling her to rest uncomfortably on her chest, further presenting her ass to his lusty gaze. Smirking unseeingly at her, he quickly replaced his finger with his girth, meeting some resistance before fully embedding himself within her.

Kagome screamed hoarsely and the scent of her blood tore through her senses. He was merciless; he pounded into her dry, equally unused channel with reckless abandon, taking his pleasure from her tight holes. The blood from the tear he created helped to lubricate his ride somewhat; Kagome continued to sob beneath him.

Finally after what felt like a millennia, he began thrusting unsteadily, jerking into her before tensing. She could feel hot liquid jerk into her, she smelt his release and was awash with both relief and disgust. She felt him pull out of her sore body and she crumpled to the floor in exhaustion and mass of weak limbs. She sobbed feebly into her hands as he fixed himself and left her alone.

That was how Kagura found her, shivering and sobbing in a sweaty, grimy bloody ball on the hardwood floorboards. The wind witch seemed to take pity upon her as she slowly helped the pitiful girl to her feet and all but drug her to bathhouse. Dumping her into the shallow water, she turned her back while the panther continued to sob her gut-wrenching sounds into the humid air.

After giving her a few more minutes of feigned privacy, she proceeded to wash her down and clothe her before taking her to another room. It was moments after depositing her burden on the futon, that said burden fell into a fitful state of unconsciousness.

Kagura watched her impassively, she truly pitied the sad creature the former human miko had become, but there was nothing to be done about it now. There was no way to undo the effects of the potions, the only other way to go was forward, and Naraku intended to do just that.

Leaving the room, Kagura went to inform her master of the events that transpired after his leave and await his next set of orders, she just knew it to be something vile and she couldn't wait until the time came for him to meet his end, she would be at the front of battalion leading him to his doom.

She was sure of it.

o0o

Reviews, critiques (_**constructive criticism**_), are all welcome. Flames are not tolerated and will possibly be replied to in patois, and then used to insulate my room with this cold front that we're having now.

Anyway! Thanks for stopping by!

-sora


	15. Chapter 15

Hey guys! Long time no see. Thanks for the reviews for last chapter, I once again apologise for the rape. Special thanks to _**Darkness Living in Hope**_ and _**GothicHime89**_ for you awesome and consistent reviews lol. Whenever I'm writing, I'm always trying to imagine what your two are gunna say about it.

And thanks also go to _**merlyn1382**_, and _**inuyasha1818**_ who are quickly becoming two more staples on my reviews page.

Thanks you guys, it's good to know that you're enjoying my work. Any who, here's the next chapter. I don't believe that there's anything to warn about, other than a bit of torture, but it's not much.

Chapter 15

Sesshoumaru paced his study, while his beast snarled in his head, he tried to formulate a plan of action but so far he had been unsuccessful. Granted, he hadn't put much time aside to deal with the matter, as he had the villages to deal with, but he thought that whatever time he _did_ put to it was sufficient, after all he was Lord and it didn't bode well to potentially get worked up over some woman.

He noticed that over the past week however, Sato had been sending him very strange looks. At first, he had mistaken it as her deciding to show attraction to him (he was not being arrogant, it just always happened that way, then he would ruthlessly destroy any dreams or misconceptions the females had). But he realized that her gaze was too frigid to be attraction, too close to being hostile in nature to ever mean anything close to wanted intimacy.

He planned to figure out the cause of her apparent ire with him but decided it would have to wait for now, as it stood, the retrieval of Kagome was unfortunately on hold. He had no choice but to wait for Naraku to make the first move. The hanyou was one that you could not predict; Sesshoumaru knew that when they next saw Kagome, she would not be the same. He only hoped that it wasn't too horrid a change.

Turning his thoughts from the missing panther, he paused in his pacing to glance through the window towards the empty garden below, since learning of Kagome's capture, the children had been inconsolable, and they didn't want to leave their rooms unless ordered to by him.

Little Shippo had taken it the worst, when she hadn't originally returned with them, he had thought that she had stayed behind because she didn't want to take care of him anymore. He had been silent for the entire day, keeping only to himself, down to Rin had been scared. When she had confronted him about it, he had told her that _'he was trying to make himself as unnoticeable as possible so that Lord Sesshoumaru didn't think him to be a burden too'_

The poor girl had been in such a state of shock that she had pulled him into her arms and bawled on him, mumbling that that wasn't the reason why Kagome hadn't come back yet, but when she herself hadn't a reason they had sought him, Sesshoumaru, out.

He didn't know before that moment, just how difficult it was to relay bad news to children. Before, he had thought that if done swiftly and bluntly then it wouldn't have been too bad and they would swiftly get over it, but seeing their hopeful upturned faces, with their eyes practically begging him to tell them good news, he had hesitated.

The great Lord Sesshoumaru, Ruler of the Western Domain of the Country Japan, and Alpha of all Dogs, _**never**_ hesitates.

But he had,

_**Twice**_.

It had taken him a moment to put together his thoughts before he had knelt before them and told them, what he realized was probably the _worst_ news that he could have possibly told him. They had looked at him blankly for a second before realization struck, it was Shippo how reacted first, pulling away from the Lord as if he had been struck.

The tears that had dissipated; pooled once more in his darkened green eyes as he shook his head in denial. Upon seeing Shippo's reaction, Rin had started crying and the Icy Lord's heart clenched painfully in his chest. He had failed them.

He hadn't failed his people or his troops, he had failed Kagome, and he had failed them.

Shippo had clenched his hands at his sides and proceeded to give him a hysterical verbal lashing, trying to demean him in any way he knew how (which wasn't a lot), but it had gotten the point across. Sesshoumaru felt each and every emotion that the young kit felt was he had torn into him; the remorse he felt at being called _'an ugly poop-face'_ ran deep within his core.

After ensuring that they were safely tucked in their room, he had gone to his study. It had taken him a full day to shake off the deep-seeded guilt that had been forced into him. He had reasoned with himself over his duties before he came to the conclusion that no matter what, the villages came first.

After that day, it had been called to his attention that the children had gone into a state of depression; he had then given the orders that they were to be forced to do their normal duties so they didn't collapse in on themselves.

He still felt guilty, yes, but he had to be diplomatic. Naraku would have found a way to the girl regardless of the things he put in place, the fact that Kagura had been seen lurking once again before that day had been testament enough. Looking on the bright side though, he was pleased that it hadn't happened at the shiro, as that would have put many more lives at stake and possibly traumatized the children.

Shaking his head of his current thoughts, he looked towards the horizon at the haze that had settled beyond his gates. All the fires had been put out, but they had left a blanket of smoke in the air. Sitting once again behind his desk, he tried to get his head back on track; he needed to prepare a strategy.

o0o

She awoke to a brightly lit room, all the walls bare, floor to ceiling shoji, each pulled back to award maximum light in the room. Not a shadow to be seen, exactly what the hanyou wanted. He knew that the shadows appealed to her new, darker nature, so it was torture in and of itself for her to be in such an outpouring of light.

Rolling over on the lumpy futon, she tried to block out the brightness with anything she could try to grip, but there was nothing that could possibly help her, there was no pillow or cushion and no blanket. Her body ached into awareness, her eyes burned, sore from the crying, her throat hut, raw from screaming. She didn't want to think about the other aches that littered her form but centered in her crotch.

She hadn't known that there could have been pain such as that, hadn't known that there was a way to not only beat her body but her mind also. She had known that the act itself was supposed to be sacred in some way or form, and that it was normally between those becoming mates. Well that's what she had been told, and had read, it was obvious that there were finer details left out.

Now however, she knew otherwise. She knew that if she happened to heal from this injury physically, there was a possibility that she wouldn't mentally. She was already scarred; the look in his red eyes imprinted into her memory, his words burned her ears and her skin crawled.

For a moment, she wondered how she got in the plain white room, but disregarded it as wholly unimportant. She needed to begin moving around if she planned to escape this place.

Gathering as much strength as she could around her prone form, she tried to raise her arm; it shook from the effort of moving the dead weight before flopping uselessly beside her once more. Keeping her eyes closed, she tried once again raise her arm higher than her head, ignoring the vigorous vibrations coming from her overtaxed muscles, she managed to position it on the ground beside her head.

Letting out a deep breath, she proceeded to do the same for her other arm, it was a slow process but she eventually got both arms semi-securely positioned by her head to lift her upper body off of the futon.

Cracking her eyes open, she flinched at the brightness surrounding her and tried to ignore it, it wouldn't do for her to get side tracked now. Steadying herself, she pressed against her arms. The pain that was stinging before blossomed into a full blown rip of muscle and flesh. She felt herself going down, her eyes closed as she bit her lip and braced for impact, it was all she could do to keep herself from crying out in surprise and pain.

'_That hurt'_ she thought, wincing. Her muscles were sore and achy, the pain worse than before, she should have known better than to try to move around to such degree at such an early stage, but she didn't care, she needed to get out of there.

Her very life depended on it.

o0o

Sato stood before the room that currently housed both distressed children. Since returning, she had taken it upon herself to stay with them a little a day so they wouldn't wallow in their emotions. She understood however, why they felt as strongly as they did, Kagome adored them, and they returned the sentiment. Shippo especially, they had been through hardships together and she had been the only one they had when the vile hanyou had abducted them, she had taken care of him and protected him in any and every way she knew how.

Rin, however, looked to her as a maternal figure; the girl had taken to the panther instantly. Kagome had done to Rin what no other dared to do, she had spent quality time with her, taught her patiently things the little girl wouldn't have learnt from her lessons, yes she had fallen for a few of the Young Mistress' tricks and games, which almost got her into trouble with the Lord on a few occasions, she had only smiled them off before playing her own harmless trick on the girl.

She sighed, before pulling back on the shoji to enter the room. It seemed empty, only because the two little bundles of energy were not so very energetic anymore. It was as if they blended into the walls of the room, that's what it felt like to her. They were normally bouncing around all over, unable to control themselves in their quest for fun, but it seemed like their light had all but died. Childhood exuberance exchanged for a melancholy saved only for those who had seen great hardships in their lives.

It hurt her heat, ripped down to her soul, but she knew that there was nothing that she could do at the moment; there was nothing that _anyone_ could do at the moment. It was made clear that all they could do really was wait. It didn't mean, however, that they were to just sit on their pampered asses and not do anything while the panther suffered.

She tried to get that across to her Lord, but she had the feeling that he wasn't aware of what she was trying to get done. She also had the feeling that he was taking a much laid back approach to a possible rescue and that made her very irked. She didn't think that there was enough _to _be done regarding the situation. They had to try everything, the girl meant something to everyone, it wasn't a case where no one cared whether she lived or died at the hands of Nararku, everyone cared.

And what made it worse was the fact that said girl was practically in love with the Lord who was doing nothing to try and retrieve her from his hated enemy, who if she recalled, _stole_ her from him. Lord Sesshoumaru was never one to be kind to thieves.

"Rin, Shippo darlings" she called, they glanced briefly at her before going back to the kanji both were diligently practising. Rin had told her at one point that even though they missed Kagome; they weren't going to ignore their lessons. They wanted to learn more so that when Kagome _did_ come back, she would be so proud of them.

Now Sato wasn't going to break the children's spirit, she had only agreed with them and sat with them the first time. They reminded her of empty shells, simply going through the motions of routine life until their souls returned to their bodies.

"Do you mind if I join you today?" she asked quietly, Rin only shrugged at her before motioning to a calligraphy set nearby her.

"Do you not always, Sato-San?" she asked in a whispered voice, solidifying the void theory Sato had. She nodded once before sitting by them and opening her own set of inks. Quietly she joined their practise, waiting for Kagome's return.

o0o

She didn't really know how she got here like this, chained to a dank dirty wall completely naked. She had awoken to this and was led to believe that she may have been here for a while. Her shoulders hurt from supporting all of her weight, and her wrists were tired and raw, all the signs pointed in that direction, so she was going to safely assume that it was so.

Looking around, she was at least grateful that the place was dark, her mind was going into overdrive and the darkness was helping to somewhat calm her frazzled nerves. Trying to think back, she wondered what had happened. She remembered once again refusing the 'porridge' that Naraku had provided, her stomach growled loudly in agreement, and her body hurt now more than ever. Maybe she had been beaten, she didn't know, she didn't want to know. She didn't think she could take it really.

Hearing a door clang open, she glanced up slowly, noticing that her head felt heavy upon her neck, two beings entered. A great burly figure with thick grimy arms and a sneer, she recognized him from the attack of the village; he was the one to take her here. He tipped his head in a mocking nod at the recognition in her eyes.

"It's good to know you remember me, we shall have much fun this day" he intoned in a gravel like voice. She choked back a gasp, she had the feeling that she had not been tortured as yet, and she really wished that she were once again fully unconscious.

He laughed at her and walked forward, pulling her outwards, more towards the centre of the room, the chain hitched on its pulley a few times before it jerked to shuddering stop. Her arms pulled a few times, but she remained quiet as he circled her nude form.

"You seem to have developed a streak of defiance, Kagome" the other being addressed. She froze and looked up slowly to see cold malicious crimson eyes boring into her, she tried to repress a shiver as unwanted memories surfaced, the contempt she bore for this man- no hanyou, astounded even her.

"I plan to remedy that; I cannot have my greatest weapon fighting me. I was content with your indifference but that dog interfered. I would have your derision, but I would much rather your fear, much easier to control."

She glared hostilely at him, only to yelp in shock and pain when she felt the sting of what felt like a thousand claws tearing into her back.

"You make me hurt you, Kagome. The more you fight me, the more I will fight back" he replied. She struggled to free her arms, only to stiffen painfully as what she realized was a whip cut into her once again.

Naraku watched impassively as she was whipped continuously, inside however, he was grinding with anger; she refused to submit. She had stopped screaming and yelping about fourteen lashed ago, only gritting her teeth against the pain or biting her lips. Her blood smelt thickly in the dank air as her skin was shredded bit by bit. He blinked at her and raised a palm to halt the beatings.

"Do you submit to my will woman?" he asked calmly, belaying the fury he felt at her. She glared up at him, her bloodshot eyes burned with malice, her chest heaving from exertion. She spat at him before another blow gripped her.

"That's twenty-one by my count" he stated coldly, narrowing his eyes at her, "Continue."

Her eyes widened as he walked out of the room, the whip once again licking into her back. She would kill him, she vowed.

o0o

She awoke in sheer agony; she wondered why for a brief moment before she recalled that her back was torn to shreds. Trying to curl into a ball, she hissed and whimpered as the wounds tightened. It shouldn't be taking this long she knew, but she figured that the bastard that kept her wouldn't make it easy on her in the slightest.

She took a deep breath, trying to force the cry of pain back down her throat, her air around her, though fresh, was tainted somehow. She didn't want to open her eyes to find out how, but she knew it would be inevitable.

Steeling herself, she warily opened her right eye, the brightness assaulted her so potently that both eyes opened in shock before clamping shut. After a few moments, she opened both eyes fully and they watered in her surroundings.

She was back in the open room, on the lumpy futon. Her surroundings were white and the sunlight was directly upon her form, she tried to shift painlessly but soon realized that it was a lost cause.

_Given time, I'll go mad_ she thought, and knew it was the truth. While she had waited for Sesshoumaru's return after her dream, she had found an old scroll about the panther tribe. Deciding that it would prove useful to her, she had read the entire thing. She had found out that the panther needed darkness to survive, without it after a while they could go crazy, their beast would take over and they would go on a slaughter.

Granted, that's what mainly happened to those of weak mind, but if given the time, it could possibly happen to any panther. Trying to move once again, she realized that her movements were feeling a bit more sluggish than a few moments ago. Focusing, she became aware that the room was slowly filling with miasma.

Remembering the effects of it, she struggled in her bed, trying and failing to not inhale the toxic fumes. Her gasping breaths died down as she passed out from exhaustion and pain. A figure entered the room and sat against the far wall, it was time to commence with the final leg of her transformation. Whether she was ready or not, he would possess her. And if she became too unruly, he decided that he would just have to suffer the injustice of having to find another suitable human to bend to his whim.

After he absorbed this failed attempt that is.

o0o

Poor kids, and Sessh too, but mainly the kids, mou.

Okay, I must admit that I got an idea for the whipping scene from 'Underworld: Rise of the Lycans' but that's just the last line that Naraku says in that scene, right? If there are any more references that you've noticed and I haven't sited, please tell me.

Yay! One more chapter down, not sure how many to go. Thanks for dropping by!

-sora


	16. Chapter 16

The Knight8

Oh my, I am SOOOOO sorry that this is late, I had wanted to post from Friday, but I have this thing that I can't post a chapter until the one after it is either finished or almost finished. Luckily, I finished chapter 17 today so I can post this now.

I thank you all for your reviews and stuff, means a lot!!! I really hope this chapter makes up for the wait.

Chapter 16

She was hungry, so very hungry. She had been able to move for three days now, three days not spent in pain or torture. It was a great reprieve, a small one she knew, but one none the less. She was still in the impossibly lit room, but at least now she could cover her eyes or something.

At first she thought that when darkness fell, she would have had a small amnesty from the invading light, but she had obviously not given the dirty hanyou enough credit. When the night came, and the screens were drawn back, they were majicked in a way that they glowed, impossibly so.

It was as if they absorbed the light during the day, only to expel it when there was no more light to capture. And if that torture wasn't enough, she was hungry. She hadn't eaten since Sesshoumaru's she believed. It was nothing short of a miracle that her body held up, especially under the conditions she had been.

But there was no ignoring it now; her body needed sustenance, a fresh kill, anything. But the only thing available was the oh-so-obviously poisoned meals that the hanyou provided, most times it was either a faintly glowing soup of sorts or a stew or porridge. It was painfully obvious to her that if she wanted to eat anything of substance for her survival, she needed to first go through whatever poison Naraku wanted her to ingest.

She knew that it was only a matter of time before she caved, but she wanted to see just how long she could hold off of it. How long she could continue to defy him openly, how long before he forced his will on her. Erupting from her thoughts, a shadow befell a small part of the room; the void girl entered and placed a bowl on the low table before leaving as quietly as she came.

Glancing curiously at the steaming bowl, she saw a vicious purple liquid. Because the bowl was so deep, however, she had to bend over it to see. The steam curled into her face and burnt her eyes and nose, making her drawback in pain, wondering just what the hell was in the bowl. It smelt faintly like miasma, but the potency wasn't there for it to be a bowl of liquefied toxins.

Scooting away from it, she watched as the steam curled languidly. Her mind felt muddy, not a particularly shocking revelation, as it should have been that in itself scared her. Deciding to do something rash, she picked up the bowl, the steam curled into her face once more and she fought a cough. Walking to the edge of the shoji, she flung the bowl out of the room. The liquid splashed a few meters away from her before a hissing sound erupted; melting the hardwood it fell on.

Stumbling back into the room in shock, she scooted into a corner, eyeing the sunken areas warily. She didn't notice when a figure stood behind her, only when it was too late and a set of arms clamped her form compact and lifted her bodily from the room she deemed hers.

She was flung into a more spacious room, bare of all furniture; she assumed it was used for training. Standing, she looked around only to fly to the ground once more as a fist connected with her jaw. She landed heavily, but quickly found her feet before a booted foot came down upon where her legs were.

She couldn't see her attacker, though the area was far from darkened enough to cover them, it made her speculate of their own power. A kick came from the side and her breath left her, she heaved and realised that all she could smell was the steam from the bowl. The acid that had destroyed the wood outside of her cell.

She glanced about again but saw nothing out of the ordinary, before her face snapped to the side. Her attacker made themselves known and she realized that she had never seen the person before.

It was male, his pale green hair cropped low to his skull as his dark eyes regarded her coldly. His stance was stiff, his lanky frame setting comfortably in the offensive.

"Why do you not fight back?" he requested in a smooth tone.

"What do I have to gain if I do?" she spoke back, massaging her jaw and eyeing him warily.

"You freedom perhaps" she laughed at him then, and his jaw clenched, he obviously did not appreciate being taken for a fool.

"We both know that such will not happen. The only way to leave here of my free will is for me to die, and even then the sick bastard might just find some way to keep me" he smirked at her before twirling the sais in his wrists.

As she figured he would, he lunged at her spinning and flicking the weapons at any opening she presented. Very soon, she was back against a wall, a sai at her throat and one at her waist. He smirked in her face as she glared at him haltingly.

He made slow motions with the tips of his sharp weapons, slicing at her writs and shoulders. She wondered what he was doing at first before something clicked in her mind. She thrashed in his hold, but he pressed his weight against her.

She froze in terror, recollections flooded her mind, her eyes widened in fright and he let her be. His smirk widened to a grin as he pressed himself further onto her, shoving her farther into her mind, into a sea of memories that she would rather forget. Tears sprung from her eyes as he exploited her weakness, when she was very much subdued, he stepped backwards, collecting the blood that ran freely from her wounds.

He brought it to a basin by the nearest corner of the big room and poured it steadily into it. "This should ensure that your body takes to it" he murmured at her quivering form as the mixture became an ominously glowing black.

Walking back to her, he caressed her face and she flinched away from him, he grinned at her once more before tugging her unresisting body to his, she stiffened like a board, and he merely lifted her and took her back to her room. Leaving her on her futon he laughed when she scampered from him to huddle in a corner.

o0o

She was slowly losing her mind. For five days, the mysterious man came and goaded her into a fight before he took her blood. She was even weaker now, barely able to keep her head up, much less on the look-out for other strange creatures that sought to visit her.

The blinding whiteness of her room only served to taunt her, she needed a shadow desperately, and her instincts were going crazy. Starved and weak, she was the epitome of a demon on the verge of insanity.

She hadn't seen Naraku since the whipping, but she had no doubt that he was not pleased with the lack of progress that she was making. Her head lolled backwards, just in time to see the object of her thoughts slink into the room. He looked out of place in the stark paleness, she decided but it didn't matter because something bad was going to happen.

"Why do you continue to defy me?" he asked softly, kneeling down before her. She wanted to crawl away, but she didn't have the energy. It seemed that he knew this as an arrogant smirk blossomed on his face. "It seems I may have to force my will into you once more my pet" he crooned before getting up.

She thought he would leave, she did, what could she say other than that she was delusional and was prone to wishful thinking. He merely went about closing and securing all the shoji. Her heart dropped into her stomach when he stepped back towards her.

He reached for her face and she shied away, his face hardened as he gripped her jaw and pulled her bodily towards him, all but flinging her on her back on the futon before him. She struggled minutely, her strength waning with each tug or shove.

He ignored her movements and dropped his hips onto hers, ceasing her struggles as she froze. He opened her kimono forcefully, ripping the fabric off of her form and _attacked_ her breast.

She screamed when he bit down on a nipple, simultaneously shoving a clawed tipped finger into her dry passage. He smirked against her as he assaulted her body, scratching, licking and biting his way over her. Below him, she cried, helpless to stop his molestation of her.

Soon he felt her body responding to his probing, he knew she wanted nothing to do with him, but her body was made to naturally respond to stimulus, he would take advantage of that as much as needed to get his way.

"So wet for me already, Kagome." He purred, smirking when she hiccupped and her scent flooded with shame, "you know you want this, why do you fight?"

He pulled the ties on his own kimono, and shoved his hakama roughly down to his ankles. She had her eyes tightly shut as he continued to 'explore' her body. He positioned himself at her entrance and pistoned himself if, she choked back a sob at this and squeezed her eyes against their sockets.

It hurt so much, the pain was much worse than the last time, the mental anguish she felt this time around threatened to suffocate her. He continued to thrust in and out, grunting his pleasure above her. He scratched and clawed at her body, making welts and cuts along her arms and stomach, marring her skin physically. It was temporary on the outside, but in her mind it was a permanent mark against her.

He continued to push himself in and out, before he pulled her up towards him, she followed bonelessly as he placed her on her hands and knees, and her body shook both from the effort and the pain she knew would be forthcoming.

She didn't have to wait long before he shoved his girth brutally past the tight ring of muscles in her ass, she grit her teeth and bit her lip as her eyes clenched and her muscles locked. He pulled himself out only to shove in again, tears fell onto the covering below her as her body was invaded. She felt her mind become numb as he continued before she caved in on herself.

o0o

When she pulled herself from the dark recesses of her mind she was laying in a tub of black water. Eerie purple mist curled around her, she was still too weak to do much, and so her efforts to remove herself from the situation only caused a disturbance in both the water and steam. Her body was sore and it hurt to be in a sitting position, but it couldn't be helped.

She was tired, tired of everything, she didn't care anymore; she didn't care what was happening, what would happen. She had given up. He had taken everything she had ever known from her and she still didn't know why. The last thing she could have possibly kept for herself was stripped away ruthlessly by the mad hanyou. She was nothing, no one.

Closing her eyes once more, she allowed the darkness of her mind to take her again…

o0o

Naraku smirked in victory, all his hard work had finally paid off. Of course, work in the context is subjective, but it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that he was getting what he wanted.

He had worn her down, who knew that carnality was the key to all his wildest (and they were very wild) dreams. Finally, he would be able to destroy that dog once and for all, then collect all of the shards of the Shikon No Tama and destroy the Miko Council. Then and only then would he be the most powerful of all the land.

But he was getting ahead of himself, he still had to make sure that she accepted the potion, and with the way things were going it seemed like it wouldn't be long now. Currently, she was soaking in a concoction that that would make her body more accepting of other foreign toxins as it was laced with her blood, and the many wounds he graciously provided her with would accept some of the current acids and poisons into her bloodstream.

It would be a deliciously painful encounter for her, but after, well he wasn't exactly sure how long it would take, but she will at least have one ability that she was to get a few cycles ago.

It was all coming together, he had all the pieces of the puzzle, all that was needed was to put them together. He knew that she had given up, she had no more fight left, and he was able to do all he wanted without having to think about punishment. This was how it should have been all that time ago.

Kanna walked into the room silently, her stark appearance drawing his brooding attention to her. She lifted her mirror at an angle, the light glinting off of it to show him his reflection before it became as black a void as the owner's eyes.

An image of Kagome, conscious in the bathtub, came before his eyes. She looked around slowly, taking in where she was, but there was a certain emptiness in her eyes, as if she had finally accepted that he had her for good and he was not letting her go for any reason.

His smirk of triumph threatened to blind those in the room as the image disappeared and the mirror's surface went blank once more.

o0o

Sitting behind his desk, Sesshoumaru summoned Sato into his study, it was time to find out what was on her mind. He could not have one of his best Knights shirking her duty because she decided that she would hate him now. He still found it really odd, and her looks were getting more hostile as the days wore on.

He vaguely wondered if it had anything to do with Kagome's capture. _Well it obviously does, but what aspect of it could be causing this change?_ Stepping from his thoughts, he looked up as the heavy shoji of his office slid open, allowing the female twin passage.

She walked in a bowed politely before looking off to the side. He scowled openly at her as they were in the privacy of his study.

"And just what has gotten you so riled up?" he asked steadily, she merely blinked at him in open defiance. He growled at her, a sound that demanded her submission. He was her lord and she would behave as such, no matter her feelings to him at the current moment.

Sato turned to him and bared her neck lightly, she still refused to speak, but she knew that it was really only a matter of time before he forced her tongue.

"I will not repeat myself" he spoke again, before folding his arms before him. She sighed inaudibly.

"Why have we not proceeded to return Kagome to the shiro?" she asked, she was being bold she knew, but she didn't care at the moment.

He blinked at her before narrowing his eyes, is this what she was being hostile about? "Is it that you believe that this Sesshoumaru is not looking about getting the panther from the clutches of Naraku?" he spoke evenly, not taking his eyes off of her, she shifted lightly, barely for anyone else to pick up, but he knew his Knight, and he knew that that was her cause.

"It has been half a cycle my Lord, surely we should have been able to retrieve her by now"

"It is not that simple-" he began, but she cut him off, all but screaming at him.

"Does she not mean anything? Does that fact that it was Naraku mean nothing?"

"Do not question my motives woman!" he snapped, glaring at her. How dare she, she would know her place. How dare she question whether or not he cares that his latest charge was taken from him, how dare she suggest that he was lax in his duty to protect her and thusly retrieve her, how dare she question his honour.

"I am do all I can to retrieve the panther, but we cannot just storm his castle and expect to come out with our reward, Naraku is unfortunately smarter than that, we have to wait for him to strike first. And while we wait, I am still Lord of the West, I have other business to attend to, and I cannot spend all of my time searching the countryside for a woman when my villages are being attacked and crops are being destroyed and trade is being threatened."

Sato was no fool; he was trying to distance himself from the guilt or whatever emotion he is feeling over the capture of Kagome by calling her everything but her name, but she would not have it. Kagome was a being and had become a vital part of their household whether he knew it or not. She was going to ensure he knew it.

"The panther? Woman? Does she mean so little to you now that you cannot even call her by name? she told me you called her friend, so how is it that in her time of need you can barely even call her proper name much less go rescue her!" she basically yelled in his face, "She is probably waiting for you to get her, wondering why your leaving her to that hell, who knows what the bastard is doing to her and your sitting here talking about crops and lands?

"What about the children? They are moping and depressed, drawing into themselves farther and farther everyday that she is gone, but you can't see that-"

"Do not seek to belittle me woman, you _will_ know your place-" he snarled at her, this was getting out of hand and he had to do something before one of them did something stupid, he would not have her trying to rip into him though. He was alpha and he wouldn't stand for it.

"No, you obviously do not understand _my Lord_" she sneered at him too far gone to care that he could kill her, she had to make him understand! "We have to get her, we all miss her and are worried for her, we cannot leave her there to die because you want to settle land disputes and drink sake while your wards are dying slowly without her, Little Shippo refuses to eat now and poor Rin doesn't know what to do-"

"Silence woman, you know-"

"No I will not stop until you understand that this is bigger than you and I. it is not just about you, it's about the children and Kagome-"

"You tread dangerously-"

"You're going to threaten me simply because I speak the truth? I-"

"Knight I tir-"

"She loves you! Is that not reason enough? She loves you, she is in love with you but she knows you will never feel the same and I know now that she's right because you can't even say her name for Kami's sakes, I don't see why she does, why she bothers, but she does and you're going to let her die!" she screamed at him, chest heaving, tears in her eyes. She glared over at his shocked form. She paused to wonder what it was that she said to cause such a reaction from him and tried to calm herself in the interim.

"What did you just say?" he asked slowly. Sato froze, and backtracked to her last argument. It wasn't about Rin and Shippo, though that did get a rise from him, what could it have been-

"Oh no" she whispered, clamping her hand over her mouth, she shook her head, hoping against hope that she didn't just spill Kagome's greatest secret to who the secret was about.

"She loves me?"

o0o

Uh oh!!!! She spilled the beans; I wonder how Sessh is gunna take it?

How are _**you**_ taking it? Tell me!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Much Love!

-sora

© Danielle Smith '06


	17. Chapter 17

Yay and early post!! I finally made a Friday deadline lol _**and**_ you get to find out what happens after the cliffy that I left, I feel mean about it I'm sorry, but I hope this makes up for it!

And thank you all for the reviews! They made my week! Enjoy!!

Chapter 17

It didn't come as a shock to her, when she next awoke, that she was in a dark dungeon-like place. Well it came as a minor shock that she was in darkness but otherwise it seemed to be normal for her to wake up now in places other than where she fell unconscious.

She had no sense on how long it had been since she was last awake, since she was last aware of what was happening to her body. She was confused, she didn't really know whether to be happy, or at least grateful for the darkness, or be disgusted with herself and form.

A shudder ripped through her and she pulled her knees to her chest, she was naked again, well semi-naked. The once-kimono she wore was now strips of cloth, dirtied and smelling. She decided to ignore it, not wanting to wonder just what could have cause the former clean material to resemble something those stricken with complete poverty would wear. Scratching her goose-pimpled flesh, she noted that her skin held a faint sort of glow. She blinked a few times, before dismissing what she saw as her delirious mind playing tricks on her. It _was_ dark after all, and she was used to the bright whiteness of the room that she was usually housed in.

Looking around, she took stock of the small space around her, it was barely long enough to be called a room. It was more like an alcove that had been partitioned off, yes that seemed like an accurate assumption. It was also slightly damp, with what? She didn't want to know.

Her eyes were once again drawn to her purple-hued skin. It was common knowledge that when one was purple, they were normally dead, and wasn't dead. No, that would have been too easy a fate for her when it came to the hanyou, and, she was in pain, a definite sign that she was still very obviously and irritatingly alive.

Tracing the skin, she noted that the 'purple glow' was more like lines on her skin; veins even, than all over colour. It ghosted along her arm thinly, sometimes connecting into larger veins or separating into smaller ones. She didn't feel any pain from it, only the soreness and disgust from other activities. Something that she would rather not think about.

It would not be good for her emotional and mental state if she were to dwell on the brutal attacks and eventually break down. It was unfortunate that she had been given such an unjust lot in life, unfair that she had to be subjected to this. But alas, it was not something she could change.

For the umpteenth time, she wondered how the children were, if they were missing her as much as she was missing them. She wondered if the Demon Lord that had captured her heart would be coming for her. The thought of him possibly ever holding feelings for her was ruthlessly destroyed and shoved from her mind.

There was no way now that Lord Sesshoumaru would ever, _**ever**_ consider her as anything to him now; she was helpless, starved, near dead, weak. She couldn't even save herself from a fate worse than death. _**Twice **_she had let it happen to her. Of course he wouldn't come for her, why should he? She was nothing.

Any chance of anything happening now were destroyed, she was now Naraku's, his 'pet', his slave, his weapon. Nothing mattered to her anymore, her life was over.

She was the Hanyou's Whore.

o0o

Sesshoumaru stared at Sato in shock, blatant shock, still finding it difficult to process exactly what it was that she had just said.

_She loves me?_ He thought, _surely she is mistaken_. No matter how much he told himself however, it wasn't going to change the fact, and the way that Sato was behaving after her outburst only served to strengthen the theory, rather than weaken it.

Kagome was in love with him, it was a bit to take in, especially at a time like this.

"I-I" Sato stammered before sighing resignedly. "I wasn't supposed to say that, ever" she muttered, further strengthening that it was indeed the truth.

He looked at her for another full moment before picking up his quill in an attempt to distract himself from the present.

"You have said you piece, you are dismissed" he stated tonelessly, she nodded and bowed solemnly before leaving him alone.

Sesshoumaru glanced down at his desk, his mind a thousand miles away. Could it be true that Kagome was in love with him? Maybe it was merely infatuation; he honestly didn't think that she knew the difference between the two.

The new-found knowledge brought up all the emotions- for lack of a better word- that the panther evoked into him when he thought of her. The ones he buried deep within so he could get on with his life, the cavernous despair and guilt he felt towards her capture. It also brought to light all the times he found himself thinking of her arbitrarily, his mind straying to what he thought she would be doing or thinking of.

He knew that he himself didn't feel anything for the girl other than slight acquaintance-ship- no that was a lie, he had admitted to thinking of her in the capacity of friend, but that was it, nothing more.

At least that was what he was telling himself.

The truth was that he didn't want to think of her as anything other than a friend, that was why he kept his distance, he didn't want the possibility of getting attached to her, she was his brother's miko, well ex-miko, but his brother's none the less. Yes, he knew that neither his brother nor any in their pack thought of her as anything more than a friend and companion, but it was the fact that she came from his brother.

Technically, the panther was his enemy, having been borne through Naraku, but he had inadvertently saved her and the kit. Sesshoumaru sighed, he had effectively confused himself on a topic that he had decided a long time ago would not be an issue to his life. He didn't know what he felt for the girl, if it was duty or anything else.

Standing he strode to the wall window and looked down into the garden, it was empty, as it had been since the day he returned without her. He knew that it would remain empty until she was back in the shiro once more. With another sigh, he walked back to his desk to try and get some work done.

o0o

Striding into the darkened cell, the evil hanyou stared openly at the curled up demon in one of the dirty corners. Motioning behind him, the burly demon (that seemed to be the only one able to hand out her most gruesome punishments) walked into the niche and hauled the unmoving woman by her matted and grimy hair. The sharp tug brought forth a strangled cry that was cut off almost as soon as it had begun; this brought a sadistic smile to the faces of her captors.

Dragging her bodily from the enclosed area, the big demon practically flung her into the direct sunlight of the main chamber. The panther whimpered in agony, clamping her eyes shut from the sudden onslaught of light, it was too much for her tired and bloodshot eyes to take, she slumped forward on the gritty floors focusing too much on her pain to realise much else. She wasn't exactly sure where she was but her head and body hurt.

"Get the poison" Naraku ordered, the other demon nodded and went about doing as he was bid. Naraku paced to the almost prostate demoness, circling her as she held her head trying in vain to block out the pain and light. he smirked at her when the demon returned with a very familiar bowl of steaming liquid.

Taking the bowl, Naraku motioned for her to be held forward while he absentmindedly stirred the viscous liquid. When she was sufficiently upright, he spooned a bit and brought it to her face, having realized that she was not going to be consuming the item without an outside force. Her eyes slowly, cautiously opened, she looked around, waiting for her vision to clear painlessly (which seemed to not be happening). She noticed the spoon before her and her lips thinned to a line as she clamped her mouth shut.

The hanyou frowned at her, refusing to move the spoon, demanding her compliance. She stared defiantly back at him, she was tired, true, she was also very weak, but that did not stop that now tiny spark to course through her. Naraku's glare turned hostile and she looked away, off the the side of him.

"Look at me, Kagome" he stated tonelessly, she refused to comply.

"Look at me" he said again, slightly harsher than the last time, she refused once again, going as far as to try and yank her hair free from its captor. Naraku had had enough.

"LOOK AT ME" he growled, emphasizing each word, she tensed and her eye whipped to his, his crimson orbs glowed in malice at her as he once again motioned the spoon to her face. She wanted to refuse, but as soon as it was realised, a sharp jerk on her scalp had her mind reeling in pain and her mouth opening in a short yelp.

It was all Naraku needed as she forcefully shoved the spoon in her mouth. She tried to spit or at least stop herself from swallowing but in her weakened, hungry state, he body didn't listen to her demands and swallowed what was put in her mouth as food. She felt the liquid burn her throat horribly as it made its journey and she wanted to claw at her neck, and scream in pain.

Forcing another spoonful down her throat, Naraku ordered her release and watched her reaction with something akin to glee on his face. Kagome heaved forwards, trying and failing to retch, to force the contaminant out of her body. Tears flowed from her face as her mind practically exploded with pain, every nerve ending was on fire and coated in ice at the same time.

She clawed the ground, chipping and breaking off the hardened material stemming from her fingers in her pain. After a few moments it stopped, well dimmed was more the case, but to the stricken girl it was a reprieve. She felt the fluid running along her, well in her veins, the purple becoming more pronounced as whatever was in the 'food' went to serve its purpose.

Looking up with pained eyes, she noticed Naraku making his way towards her once more with the bowl, she tried to scoot back, noticing his intent, but her body simply could not comply. She was run down completely, no energy left.

Forcing her mouth open once more, he basically poured the liquid into the orifice. She gagged and choked her protests, but he only stopped once he felt that a sufficient amount was swallowed. The poor girl slumped forward, trying to regain her breath from the attack. A pain like no other licked her insides, a scream tore from her throat, and her back bowed painfully.

The screaming continued as she curled on her knees, her fists pounding the ground; her skin was on fire and her insides were melting, she didn't know what was happening. Naraku watched from a safe distance as the final piece was put in the puzzle that was his greatest weapon, she was beautiful in her anguish, and he could not wait for the end result.

Her back was bared and what seemed to be purple electricity rose and fell along her spine like an electric snake, the jumping continued along her skin, on her arms and legs, her chest and face. It seemed to be jumping out of the engorged veins on her skin; her screaming subsided as she lost consciousness, her body slumping to the floor.

The electricity seemed to glow then and get thicker and more dangerous; Naraku smirked as her entire body was bathed in the glow, it would soon be time.

o0o

To say that the evil Hanyou Naraku was excited was creating a vast understatement. It would have been more accurate to say that the evil Hanyou Naraku was positively bursting at the seams in uncontrollable anticipation as he waited for his newest creation to unfold before his very eyes. In shortened terms, the evil Hanyou Naraku was waiting in glee for Kagome to wake up.

The female in question was blissfully unconscious, convulsions wracking her body as the poison ran its course, mixing with the acid from before to create something completely different and wholly lethal.

Naraku went over his insidious plot in his head; things were going according to plan. Granted, it was at least two cycles overdue (as he should have been ruler over all by now) but things were progressing. When the sparks and convulsions ceased, he would have the woman placed in a herbal bath to help rejuvenate her body, and then she would be fed heartily.

Then, and only then, could the rest of the plan commence, she would begin training to harness her new powers and to control her now raging beast. He felt all tingly just thinking about it, but tingly wasn't particularly a good word to use when describing the scheming half-breed, but he didn't seem to be having a problem with it, so he would continue to tingle all over.

The burly demon sat off to the side of the darkened room, they had moved the girl from the dungeons to a bedroom of sorts, it seemed that since his plan had finally worked, the hanyou no longer wished to torture the girl.

The demon didn't know what the hanyou's plans were and he wasn't quite sure that he really wanted to. All he knew was that he wanted the girl for himself. It was very unfair that the inferior being got to sample her treasures twice and he, who aided loyally from the start, got nothing, not even a sniff.

Sure, he was not very handsome (or not at all) but he was loyal to a fault (only when it benefitted him), but he was frustrated because none of the whores would even look at him. Even with his almost fetching (grotesque) features and warm (destructive) personality. That little panther was all he's ever wanted in a female, yes she had become a little skinny and he preferred them more on the plump side, be he was positive, so positive that he swore that he would have her, even if it was the last thing he did.

The hanyou noticed the way that Guro was eyeing his panther and he didn't appreciate it one bit. He would have to nip it in the bud, and immediately. He knew what that look meant; there was lust, but also some scheming, he may just have to absorb that one. It didn't really matter to him though, they were easy to come by, minions, and he already got what he wanted, so nothing could upset his day.

Nothing.

o0o

Sora padded the halls of the second floor, arms laden with blankets and absorbent cloth, ever since her mistress had been recaptured she had been doing either kitchen or laundry duty. Not that she had a problem with it, because she didn't, it was just that it seemed that the lord didn't put much thought into what he changed her duty to.

He seemed distracted as of late, and she wondered if it had to do with the disappearance of the seemingly incomplete demoness that he had saved. Granted, he wasn't the only one behaving differently since the girl's detention, but he was the one that stuck out the most in her mind.

His usual stoicism and aloof attitude was turned in for a brooding, contemplative one. And lately, since about two mornings ago, he had been very withdrawn and preoccupied; it was odd for her lord, who ensured that no one saw through his façade. And what was worse, was that she seemed to be the only one who could see it.

It wasn't as if she had been serving the Lord of the West for any length of time, no she had barely been there for any duration before she was appointed handmaiden. So honestly, she really had no knowledge of the Lord's mannerisms to really rely on. She only knew what she saw and what she was seeing now was definitely not what she saw when she had first arrived.

The girl had changed their Lord, for the better or worse? She couldn't say, only because she didn't know. With a sigh, Sora entered her previous lady's chambers and began to pack away the linens.

o0o

The panther Kagome woke up in layers, she felt comfortable, well rested, and she felt great. For a moment she wondered if the entire ordeal with Naraku had just been a messy dream but decided to discard that notion just in case it was indeed real so she wouldn't disappoint herself.

Shifting a bit, she heard and felt the sloshing of water, this little fact prompted her to wake a lot faster than she had originally intended. She had been expecting a lot of things upon falling into consciousness; she had expected pain, lots of pain, she had expected to be sore and unable to move and she had expected to be probably on the brink of death.

Instead, she was in a warm bath that made her feel better by the second, she could smell the different herbs blending and making her feel rejuvenated. She also felt hungry; smelling the food nearby caught her once again by surprise, actual food, freshly killed food, bloody food. No porridge or poison laced soups; she felt her stomach rumble in appreciation and anticipation.

She wondered if she woke in some alternate reality where Naraku was a nice Lord, or maybe she had been rescued once again by Sesshoumaru after all. She wasn't exactly sure how much time had elapsed since she lost consciousness and her current room was blissfully dark.

Feeling with her aura, she couldn't find any that were familiar in a good way, so that only led her to believe that the last, however long, had indeed been real and she was still there at Naraku's stronghold. The only difference being that apparently her status had changed somewhat, she was curious as to why and what sparked the change, but wasn't going to go out of her way to try and find out.

Rising awkwardly from the tub-like space, she realized that she was in a full white yukata, well transparent was more like it, but she was grateful for the covering all the same. Finding a thick absorbent cloth was no problem either and also was finding the delicious food that conveniently enough, was laid out before her.

She was sceptical about eating in at first, thinking things were far too easy, but her stomach won out and she found herself munching happily on the succulently raw and nutritious meat. It had been a while since she last had any sustenance, she realized, and was really genuinely surprised that she was not dead already.

Her mind then switched to Naraku's tenacity and just what happened the change from him slowly killing her to feeding her and giving her her energy back. She was also very grateful and glad for the darkness of the room, she hoped that it lasted a while; he mind was finally getting a reprieve from the constant light, her head still hurt slightly just by remembering it.

Deciding that she wanted to change her clothes, she scoured the room for an item, any item if clothing but turned up nothing. Slumping onto the futon that was laid out, she wished she had clothes while her eyes drooped. She felt that a nice nap was in order, to help her body heal of course; it had nothing to do with the fact that she was now a cat and felt the need to sleep after filling her tummy, not at all.

Lying in a ball on the bed, she began to drift off, only to awake at the sound of a shoji pulling back. She sat up quickly, ignoring the slight dizziness that accompanied the action and looked to see who was entering. The Wind Witch from earlier stepped through and closed the door behind her. She looked at the dark girl impassively before throwing a bundle at her.

"Get changed," was all she said before stepping out again, not bothering with the door this time. Unfolding the roll, she found a red faded cotton gi. Deciding that it was better than nothing, she slipped it on before poking her head out of the still open shoji to see if Kagura was nearby. She almost jumped when she realized that the girl was right outside the door.

"Come." Was all that was communicated. Kagome was confused once more; this reminded her of the time that she had been first abducted. She wasn't sure if she wanted to follow the Witch but knew that she had no choice in the matter. With a sigh, she padded after the woman, hoping that she wasn't going to be doing what she thought.

o0o

Oki, so now Kags finally has her power, granted I don't think she knows it yet, and I do believe that that should be the last of her torture, I hope so cuz I hate writing it, it makes me feel dirty

So tell me what you think! I'd love to hear it!

Much love!

-sora


	18. Chapter 18

Hi all, I'm soo extremely sorry about the long wait, this chapter was just extremely difficult to write and I honestly do not know why. I don't think it did what I wanted it to do, but I've checked and rechecked and there's nothing more to be done.

It's also a bit shorter than the rest; I hope it doesn't really bother you. Anyways, let me not drag this out, here's the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 18

Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands paced his study uneasily, well as uneasily as one could when Lord of the Western Lands. He was still thinking about the 'secret' that Sato had let slip, still denying its existence, still not wanting to believe that it could be true.

Any efforts he made over the past few days to see or speak with the Knight came up for naught. She refused to even be in the same hallway as he, openly defying his orders to do same, and he could not find it in himself to punish her, she had a reason for keeping her distance from him after all.

That aside, he couldn't concentrate on his work, he knew of more than a few occasions of Jakken coming to debrief him only for the toad to have to break him out of deep thought or chastise him for being distracted.

Contrary to popular belief, Sesshoumaru didn't hate the little youkai; yes he could be annoying and such, but Jakken was his most trusted advisor for a reason. The kappa had been advisor to the Taisho before him, Sesshoumaru's father, and had been witness to the birth of the current Taisho.

Many persons thought that Jakken had been given the duties of nursemaid when Sesshoumaru was born, but that wasn't the case, it was because as a pup, Sesshoumaru wouldn't leave the kappa alone, much to the toad's chagrin as he had never been tolerant of/ good with children.

But the pup persisted; he was always found padding along beside the kappa when he was too young to assume a humanoid form. And when he could, he was most mischievous when it came to the old toad. Jakken was one of the only youkai alive that had Sesshoumaru's full respect.

But, much to Sesshoumaru's consternation, Jakken wasn't the only one that noticed his unusual behaviour. The read-headed youkai that served Kagome was also aware of his behaviourisms as of late and he was unsure how to go about requesting (demanding rather) her silence on the subject. She seemed to be a smart girl; he would simply be very blunt.

o0o

A figure paced in the darkness, some mutterings could be heard, but other than that, the place was silent. Not even the scuffling of feet. The figure knew that silence and stealth was the key to their survival.

The palace was in upset, nothing was how it used to be, everyone was tense and snappish or in varying stages of pity. All this over one inconsequential girl. Well, of course the figure would deem the recently turned panther inconsequential, she didn't see the reasoning's for the entire House to go up in arms because a stupid hanyou got too over-zealous.

She had heard the stories, that much was certain; one could not be a servant in a high-ranking official's home and not know any of the gossip milling disembodied through the halls. The figure sighed; her job just became all the more challenging. After hearing from her Master, she was quite unsure how to proceed from where she was.

Sometimes she wondered if her Master wished the same fate as the Hanyou Naraku, making outrageous demands as he did. But it wasn't her place to question his motives; it was never her place to even think of his motives, she was only supposed to do.

And do, she will.

o0o

Seto watched as his sister paced the area between her futon and desk; the space wasn't all that big, probably about seven or eight steps lengthwise before she had to turn around. She didn't seem to be taking the recapture very well. The past three weeks had been pure torture to the male twin, feeling his sister's every emotion (and there were quite a few), her mind was in turmoil and by association, so was his.

For the first week, she had been consumed by uncontrollable guilt. She had blamed herself for the situation, feeling responsible for distracting him and thus separating themselves from their charge. It had taken a lot of time and coaxing for her to at least downgrade the feeling, as he knew that she wouldn't fully loose herself from it until Kagome was in her presence, totally and utterly safe.

Currently, he was unsure what exactly was eating at her as she had kept silent the entire time, but knowing her as he did, he knew it was something big.

"Sats, why won't you talk to me?" he asked, she glanced at him before shaking her head.

"Please Sats what's wrong? My brain's melting here," he tried again and she froze, apparently having forgotten how sensitive their Link was. She sat gracelessly on the bed beside him.

"I'm sorry Seto, it's just that-oh she's going to kill me' she groaned, putting her head in her hands.

"Who is? What's the matter?" he was thoroughly confused now, she could tell. She eyed him sideways for a long time, apparently thinking about something before speaking.

"You remember when we would train Kagome and she'd sit and watch us fight before bursting into tears/" she asked, the male nodded once, not really understanding why that had anything to do with the present.

"Well, she had a secret, that she told me and begged me to keep. And, I accidentally blurted it to Lord Sesshoumaru when I was yelling at him." She all but whimpered. Sato blinked, that's what all of this was about, a secret?

Knowing her brother all too well, and figuring the though flitting through his head, she shoved his shoulder to gain his attention.

"Yes, it's a secret, an important one; I broke her trust Seto, now what am I going to do? She'll never trust me again." She placed her head in her hands once more, bending at the waist to rest her body against her knees.

Sighing, Seto rubbed his sibling's back in a soothing manor, "Don't worry Sis, it's not all bad. Something good will come from this, I promise." He said, doubting his own words.

o0o

Against her better judgement Kagome entered the training area; it was just as she remembered it, even though it was a completely different room in a completely different castle all together. She assumed that all training rooms (dojo her lagging mind supplied) looked similar in some respects.

The room was big and circular, with open shojis and open windows on the roof for light. There weren't that many shadows with so much light, but there were little corners that she could possibly exploit if worst came to worst.

She watched as Kagura stood staring impassively at her, she wondered if she were to attack first or if anything was going to happen at all. It was hard to tell nowadays, she didn't know what to expect anymore. She saw the witch reach for her fan and Kagome slipped into a defensive stance. She had expected some resistance from her muscles or at least some pain but got none, it surprised her.

She didn't want to fight, especially Kagura. If anything went wrong, the sorceress of wind could easily dice her into little pieces. She knew what was happening however; Naraku had fallen back into his old mind frame. He probably thought that he had her full compliance once again, like when she was first apprehended, he was still trying to fashion her into his 'ultimate weapon', whatever that entailed. She wondered what he did to her in the past Kami knows how long, though she had a feeling that she didn't want to, she wasn't too sure.

She wanted to leave, she was tired of the place, she wanted to be free and go find her Shippo and be with Rin. _Oh how they much hate me_ she thought mournfully, trying a failing to noe think about their reactions to her absence. A wind blade brought her from her thoughts, the sharp edge nicking her cheek lightly.

The wind youkai attacked again, sending three more of the curved blades at her person, watching the panther dodge but not counter her attack. "Will you not fight me? You know he will not be pleased" she stated, both knowing of the 'he' of which she spoke.

"I care not about him" she began in a murmur, looking away from the other youkai, "I just want to be free."

"He will not allow you to leave, you know this. Forget about the dog, you will not be going back to him." Kagura knew she was being harsh, but she also knew that she had to be harsh for such to be in her favour. She needed the girl to play her part, and that was the part of the broken doll. She could be none the wiser that's she was being used. None of them could know.

"But he will be coming for me" she spat back, defiance in her eyes. She didn't want to think ill of Sesshoumaru.

"Are you positive about that? Do you know for sure?" she questioned. The panther fell silent and Kagura continued her horrible taunt. "You have been here almost a full cycle and he hasn't come as yet. The inu is not coming" she spoke decisively, standing still some paces away, almost tapping her closed fan against her folded arms.

"No that's not true!" she couldn't let Kagura poison her mind with lies, the woman worked for Naraku! The Western Lord would come for her, surely she at least meant something to him, he called her friend after all. In her anger, she didn't realize that the room had become slightly darker, or that light purple charges were dancing along her skin.

"Then why is he not here as yet?" the witch continued to taunt, disregarding the small show of power and shoving salt vinegar and dirt into the open wound that she created. She had a feeling that the small youkai before her felt something other than friendship for the Western Lord, but she still hadn't been sure enough to do something about it. Now however, things were very clear to Kagura.

"He's biding his time" Kagome whispered out, currently unsure of herself. She wanted to believe without a doubt that Sesshoumaru would be coming to her aid, but unfortunately for her, the wind sorceress' words were ringing too close to the truth. If it had been indeed three weeks (though it felt like longer) that she had been here, how is it that there had been no attempt for her safe rescue?

"Maybe they attempted when I was unconscious" she muttered to herself, not in the least convinced of her words. It made Kagura smirk in victory.

"See, you're not wanted there, and if you leave here where would you go? Who would take in a panther demoness with still no knowledge of herself and potential family, who was raped and sodomized by the hands of a villain who she couldn't even save herself from? Who cannot even control her own abilities?" she elder woman sneered. Kagome flinched at every word, her eyes stinging with tears as the truth struck her harshly.

There _**was**_ not hope for her; she was indeed in hell.

o0o

Kaori sat within the confines of the Zen Garden, watching as Rin and Shippou sat complacently nearby. She wondered what was going through their heads as they had not moved for the entire thirty or so minutes that they sat. They did not seem to be communicating, as she could not hear voices (though if they were murmuring, she wouldn't be able to tell as hawks were not known for their impeccable aural capacities). By what her eyes told her, she deemed that they had turned into statues, ready to stand (in their case, sit) still until the end of time as they await the return of their beloved.

Her wings ruffled as she moved to get into a more comfortable position, sitting on rocks was not really something she preferred to do after all. She thought of the current situation affecting the castle, because of one person, the House of the West was basically in an uproar. In turmoil.

Now, Kaori wasn't a mean person (at least she didn't think so) nor was she heartless, but she really couldn't understand how one being (who had barely been among them for two cycles) could cause such a stir.

The girl herself had seemed odd from the beginning, so it was not that difficult for the tawny general to say that she was hesitant to trust her. Yes, the Lord had deemed her trustworthy as he wouldn't have brought her to his home had he felt otherwise, but that did not mean that she had to readily follow his whim. Her Lord did not like 'yes-men', those who just agree with everything he said or did, he would not have use for advisors if that were the case.

Then there had been the 'transformation', that night alone had put the general on edge around the ebony woman. Coupled with the fact that she had to do a stint as the woman's maid, just made her all the more weary.

She didn't want to question her Lord, didn't mean to, but why would he bring an untrained woman with no memory from his enemy's stronghold and lavish her with gifts and free access to his home, without a word to his council or guards? And better yet, why would he put his general, the most experienced and trusted person in his army, as the woman's personal maid?

It was curious indeed, and now when the woman had been trained and protected, she was recaptured, leaving the entire household in disarray. For Kaori, it was a really difficult situation to grasp, it was interesting that so much effort had been put into keeping the woman safe and away from their enemy, one would think she was the Lady of the West.

o0o

Kagura attacked, swinging her fans in a downward arch to create a reverse blade. Diving out of the way, the panther dodged a few more arcs, before lunging (or at least trying to) at the other female. They had been at this for a while now and Kagome was beginning to tire. She didn't know what was supposed to be happening, but she knew that the witch as waiting on something.

Kagome felt like a toy, she was being used for amusement purposes right now , she was sure of it. Why else would Kagura back off at an attack before volleying a decidedly brutal counter? Yes, they were fighting and that was what opponents did, but this was different. She could feel it.

It was like she was being punished for something she did or possibly didn't do. It was confusing and not helping her current frame of mind to try and figure it out.

"What are you waiting for?" Kagome hissed at the afloat woman, she had a calculating look to her, one that often didn't bode well for those on the receiving end.

"That is for you to decide panther" Kagura replied. Kagome looked at her quizzically, for her to decide?

"What do you mean?" she was confused, that much was obvious, but added to that; she had no possible clue as to what the elder girl could be referring to. Kagura said nothing, she simply watched the woman-child as she tried to regain her breath from the unfairly vicious workout. She was pleased however, the girl was holding up. It would be necessary to continue to build her stamina as her time drew nearer.

She knew what Naraku insisted upon this training, insisted that Kagome not be allowed to leave until she did what it was that he wanted. Of course, the hanyou didn't know that Kagura was also using this time for her own gain. She couldn't really say, but the panther played an important role in her plot for the wicked hanyou's demise.

Having zoned out for a bit longer than she had intended, Kagura could only watch and listen in confusion as the younger woman babbled on about only the Kami knew what, she heard her name a few times along with the words evil and good. She could only speculate that the woman as trying to make herself feel better about her situation, maybe she was assuming that she, Kagura was indeed her friend and was going to aid her out of the stronghold and into the inu's hands.

Although that would be highly beneficial to both parties present, it would not be possibly for the witch to aid her in any way. Naraku would surely figure it out and the witch refused to have all her planning go up in smoke because of the whims of one mindless miko.

"You speak too much for your own good" she spoke, it was meant to be a warning to the panther, one she knew would not be understood or headed, she figured it could be used to her advantage in the long run. Lifting her fan blade, the wind enchantress flicked her wrist gracefully, sending a group of sharp blades to the unaware panther. Noticing said blades too late, Kagome tried to dodge, but knew that it would not be.

o0o

There! All done, I'm sorry about the cliffy (s) but it (they) couldn't be helped. I'm sorry once again that it's late! Please don't kill me!!!! (especially you _**GothicHime89**_)

Tell me what you think, any misspelled stuff, or any mistakes or whatever, I have a feeling that despite my best efforts, its riddled with them .

Anyway! Thanks for stopping by!

Much love!

-sora


	19. Chapter 19

I am sooooooooooooooooooo sorry that this has taken so long, I feel really bad. I struggled with this chapter and I'm not sure why. I wont bother keeping you with a long Author's Note, I'll just let you get to the chapter.

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine, you might wanna check under the International Listings for Takahashi Rumiko.

Chapter 19

Walking into the gardens, the not so bustling servant made her way purposely along the green path. She had taken to using the now desolate area as a means to get from one wing of the house to the other in a much faster time period. It also helped that she got to enjoy the beautiful, albeit neglected scenery.

Because she was so used to the space being so void of life, she did not notice the figure to her left until it was too late.

"You should know that the gardens are not to be used as a service commute" came a male voice. Dropping her linen burden, red hair whipped to the side as green eyes widened. Falling into a bow, Sora began muttering apologies for being caught doing something irresponsible.

The figure stepped forward, his red glinting as his black and white go clashed with the greenery. Seto scratched his head in an uncomfortable gesture, he never did get used to servants bowing at his feet and he didn't think he would ever.

"Uhm, don't worry about it," he called, willing the girl to stop and hear him. When she showed no signs, he touched his hand to her shoulder. He felt her tense and moved to lift her face from the dirt. Emerald eyes locked with his ruby ones and he smiled disarmingly at her.

"I'm not going to hurt you, don't worry" he spoke.

"Please don't tell the Lord, I didn't mean any harm I swear. I just wanted to walk through the gardens, and since no one uses it anymore I thought that it wouldn't be a problem." She was almost getting hysterical and not Seto panicked. He could not handle a crying woman.

"No no no no no, don't dry, shhh" he tried (and failed) to console. "I won't tell I promise, just please don't cry," he was getting flustered; he really hoped that someone didn't pass and think he had done something to the girl.

Sora looked up at him, seeing his pinkish cheeks and wiped her eyes, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to start crying on you" she murmured, eyes downcast.

"It's ok," he paused, "You look familiar though, where have I seen you before?" he asked.

"I am, well was Lady Kagome's handmaiden Seto-san."

"Ah yes, you're Sora" he said with a smile, she looked up at him, both bewildered and slightly happy that he knew her name. Noticing her puzzled expression, he forged on, "Kagome would speak of you when we spar" he added, liking the way her eyes sparkled.

"Why don't you sit with me?" he asked, motioning to the bench he had abandoned.

She scrambled up, "Oh, I couldn't, I have so much to do and I wouldn't want Lord Sesshoumaru to get irritated with me." She voiced, figuring that he probably was already irritated with her if their last encounter was anything to go by.

"Alright then, tonight after dinner?" he asked again, she smiled shyly at him, her cheeks blossoming with colour. She nodded her response and he smiled back before picking up her previously forgotten linens.

"I'll see you tonight then." He spoke and she nodded once more before all but skipping off. Seto stood in the garden alone and smiled to himself.

o0o

She hissed painfully as the sharp edges tore through her flesh, dripping blood everywhere. The panther inhaled sharply as she tried to ignore the throbbing of her tired muscles coupled with the sting and burning of the new injury.

"Get up and fight me" Kagura spoke, her soft voice reaching the ears of her opponent. It was imperative that the woman get up and fight, she needed to be reminded of how to fight through adversity, and what greater adversity was there that a grievous injury?

Forcing herself to her feet, the younger woman balanced wobbly. Sliding into her stance, she waited for the next attack. Her side and chest hurt tremendously, and the feeling of her blood flowing sluggishly down her chest was distracting, but to think about them was to give Kagura an opening for an attack.

"Dance of the Blades" the witch called and a similar attack was released, with much effort on her part, Kagome was able to dodge and deflect them. She wished that the woman would at least even out the odds, but knew that wasn't going to happen. Kagura forever had the advantage as long as she had that feather.

Sighting and grabbing a sharp piece of debris, the woman twirled it in her hand like a short sword. Kagura merely raised a brow before unleashing another wave. Using the thick piece of wood, the panther deflected the attack, gritting her teeth; she knew that there wasn't much else for her to do. She couldn't attack because her opponent was too far away for her to reach.

_This is hopeless_ she thought heaving a deep breath, there was no way for her to attack the witch with her being in the air. Needing to regroup, Kagome searched her surroundings for the closest spot of shadow. Her head was beginning to throb and she knew it was from all the light being filtered to her.

Using the oncoming attack, she fought her way backwards before standing in the sliver of shade, it wasn't much, but it was enough to ease her head a little bit. The small reprieve allowed her to regain some of her lost youki and heal herself to some degree; she figured (after much trial and error) that the darkness was the key to her new heritage. Panthers were creatures of the dark after all and it would make sense that said darkness would be what gave them their edge over the rest of the youkai population.

The panther watched the other woman; it seemed she was allowing her the time, scouting her out. She wished now that she had _some_ abilities other than the brute strength she mustered up. She wasn't all that fast either, merely agile, so counting on speed was not the best plan of action either. Kagome had never been one for strategy, but she knew that she would need some form of game plan before attempting to take on the older, more experienced fighter.

Unfortunately, that decision had been taken out of her hand as she realised too late that there was a cyclone of wind en route towards her. Having never been on any end of the attack before, the poor woman didn't know what to expect, so in a show of bravery in the face of danger, she held her defensive stance, with her arms (and sleeves) protecting her face.

Seeing this, Kagura took pity on the unprepared woman and snapped her fan closed, effectively disbanding the attack, something (when realised) that Kagome was eternally grateful for. Sagging onto the floor, the smaller woman leaned her head backwards on the wooden pillar in fatigue. The battle had been both one-sided and gruesome and she felt cheated, though knowing that she had the distinct disadvantage barely lightened the sting, she couldn't help but feel like she had been forced into the position she was.

Knowing there was more to this sparring session, Kagome kept her senses alert, or as alert as possible while she continued to regenerate her energies. The Hanyou was up to something she knew, something to do with her.

Feeling a pressure of unbound youkai close in on their position, Kagome stood swiftly, taking note of the small malicious smile that played upon the Wind Youkai's countenance and had to wonder in mild trepidation just what could she be facing next.

There was to be no rest for the weary.

o0o

Looking over scrolls and maps of his territory, lord Sesshoumaru sought to bury himself into his duty. To fill his mind with the problems of his people to block out the missing link in his household. It had been a hard few weeks, but he had persevered. Sato's 'message', while it had served a major distraction and a source of self-contemplation, had only been a minor hiccup.

He felt her was doing rather well to keep his mind in one direction, to keep his mind off of Kagome. However, anytime he met with the children, she just barrelled back into the forefront. He was at a loss with what to do in that regards.

If he went for her, it would only serve to prove that she had become a weak spot for him, upon which enemies would exploit to try and gain the upper hand with him. If he stayed and waited, those in the castle (the children and Sato) would think him even crueler and cold hearted than he already was.

It was a difficult position to be in, but he refused to be controlled by some slip of a woman. Naraku was obviously planning something, that he couldn't stress enough. One could not know what the Hanyou was planning until he did it or something in regards to it, so until he received the 'signal' so to speak, trying to find the woman would be utterly impossible. Even for him.

It took a bit to admit that he was unable to do something, but he refused to let it rule him. In the mean time, he would continue to go about his days in relative normalcy. He refused to take the time out to worry about her well being, it would only serve to either irritate him for not being able to act or to work him into frenzy and do something that he knew he would later regret. And if it was one thing he hated more than anything, it was regretting.

His brush paused over a correspondence note, dripping ink while it hovered, narrowing his eyes; he re-read the last response before his.

_My Lord, it serves me to inform you that it appears that the Hanyou Naraku is plotting an attack. There have recently been some explosions in a nearby village being over-looked by a Daimyo. One Akira Hajimatsu. Upon further investigations, it was found that Hajimatsu-San has been behaving strangely as of late and a demoness had been seen under guard in the castle. _

_After which terrifying screams have been heard on the outskirts of the village. It is safe to assume that this is Naraku's newest ruse and he has the Panther Demoness in his possession at this location._

_-Seji,_

Contemplating the note, he firstly berated himself for almost overlooking the parchment while lost in thought. About Kagome none-the-less. Secondly he wondered just how long ago Seji had sent this information to him. Seji was one of his trusted spies located in a village across his borders, he trusted that he would give him accurate and important information, and it seemed that that trust was well-founded.

So the Panther was outside his borders, not very surprising, but the fact that they were still so close (as that particular village was about twenty miles from his eastern-most edge) showed that the Hanyou was becoming very daring.

The information about screams only lead him to believe that she was being tortured, no doubt to try and get her back into the mind frame she was once in at the beginning of this entire ordeal. But it still didn't sit well with him that the maniac was torturing her, hurting her. It pained him to find that out, but he shoved it aside for more strategic thinking.

The hanyou had taken over the form of a local Daimyo, not surprising at all, but at also posed the problem of a possible army or at the very least contingent at the enemy's disposal. Thinking it over, the Daiyoukai began to plot; this seemed to be the 'signal' that he had been waiting for. It was best to not let the information offered go to waste.

o0o

she groaned in pain as her head was repeatedly slammed against the column in the middle of the room, she just knew that nothing good would have come from this day. Her vision began to swim as the pain from each swift strike compounded into one huge headache that she thought would eventually level her skull in two.

To mammoth she now faced was definitely not what she had expected and what she _should_ have expected. Especially when it came to Naraku. Apparently, Kagura was a warm up, a light spar if you will, and now she faced this beast. She had yet to see his face as it was covered with thick matted hair and what appeared to be a helmet of some sort. His arms were bigger than the circumference of her hips and his legs appeared to be able to fit two of her and still have room to move around.

He was huge.

And she was terrified.

His first strike had flung her bodily across the room to land heavily on her right side. He had then picked her up by her head (which fit snugly in his palm) and he had proceeded to make mache` of her brain. He flung her away from him when she tried to embed her claws in his finger.

She pushed herself off of the floor slowly, her energy waning under the constant onslaught. She hadn't had much time to gather her strength before this behemoth attacked her. It had been gruesome to say the least, and it was a wonder that she hadn't started bleeding as yet.

Wavering slightly, she stood, her balance disturbed by her loss of equilibrium and she swayed constantly. She saw that it was watching her and she tried to steady herself. She wanted to be ready when he struck again.

The giant barrelled towards her and she cringed, pulling her heavy arms above her face to shield her somewhat for the blow. A few seconds passed and she felt a slight wind brush her skin. Peeking out, she saw nothing and blinked in shock. Dropping her guard, she looked around for the monster that was in no way hide able and gaped when she saw nothing.

"But, I-" she begun only she shriek as what felt like a thousand needles began piercing her skin. Something gripped her hair tightly and pulled her back, flinging her heavily into the unforgiving flooring. She landed heavily and the air was pushed forcibly from her lungs.

Kagura watched on, unable and unwilling to anything to either aid or condemn the miko turned panther. She was to watch and no more, and when the time was right, she was to stop the slaughter.

"Fight me back" came a guttural voice, it was more a growl than anything and Kagome wondered where it was coming from. She groaned in response as she tried to move her body. Her arm hurt from her repeated landings on it and her head hurt from it being used as a play-ball.

"Fight me back!" she voice growled again, this sentence was punctuated by a rough grab of her hair. She realized then that it was the behemoth that was 'speaking' with her. He flung her like a child's doll into a corner of an open shoji screen and she swore she heard something crack sharply.

She breathed deeply, wondering just what this 'fight' was serving to accomplish. _Other than entertainment, that is._ She thought sardonically. So caught up in trying to save face, she didn't realize that her skin was glowing once more. The faint purple licking and crawling in small waves that would be unnoticeable to those that didn't know what to look for.

Kagura smirked, her fan hiding the idle emotion, _this should prove interesting_.

The goliath watched her warily as she staggered where she stood. It circled her, assessing the addition to his opponent before deciding that whatever it was, he was stronger than it. With a finger he swatted her to the side, wanting to see just how her skin would affect him.

She landed heavily, the breath escaping her. She looked up to see it checking its arms over for any wounds. She wanted to laugh, to become hysterical at the thought that she could have possibly hurt the large demon before her. She who had become a punching bag since he walked in, she who hadn't gotten one hit in.

It looked over at her and noticed that the glow on her skin had intensified somewhat, he was intrigued; he knew it was power but he wasn't sure of the kind. If he defeated her he could take this power for his own. He had to know the capabilities.

She hated how he looked at her now, it seemed that she had grossly underestimated this being. The dull glow of its eyes intensified and intelligence sparked in its wake as he took her in, assessing her, defeating her in his mind. He got that crazed look all lower level youkai got when they figured that they could beat this opponent.

Then he struck.

With a closed fist, she was sent reeling and flailing into a column, the crack of her heading hitting the wall not drowning out the scream of pain that followed his punch. He stood looking at his arm, as some of her power jumped across his fingers, sending small shockwaves into his system.

The thing glared at her, flashing his meaty fist to rid himself of the pain, the glow on her receded. She looked at him in wonder; he was in pain, but why? He was glaring at her; she looked down to see if there was anything that could pinpoint this new and odd behaviour. A gasp tore form her as she noticed the steady deep blue glow on her hands. It looked familiar and strange at the same time.

"Wha-" she stammered in shock, she was bewildered and unable to recall what could have brought on this obviously new development. She looked up to see the beast charging towards her again. She barely rolled out of the path of what could have been a very fatal blow. The glow intensified once more, little charges licking her skin in a placating manner. The purple electricity bringing a small sort of comfort to the otherwise on edge demoness.

She didn't know what it was or where it came from, she was pretty sure now that she had never seen it happen before, but it made her feel a tad better about her circumstances, she now held a power.

Struggling up on her now sore legs, she stood in a half defensive crouch and waited for it she was tired and wavering but she refused to allow the thing to beat her, to kill her. It charged again, and she did her best to try and side step it, there was no way she would be able to take a direct hit from the mammoth, her only hope was to try and wear it down, no matter how difficult that may appear to be.

She was grabbed up in an iron grip, her arms and legs clamped together and useless. She felt her world shift and she was suddenly face to face with her opponent. The electricity that still danced along her skin seemed to affect him more now, but it obviously wasn't going to let her get away. He smiled a disgusting smile at her before squeezing his fist lightly. It felt like her bones were being forced from their positions, the creaking only amplified the pain she felt and she screamed.

"If you kill her, your life is forfeit" came Kagura's sharp tone, accentuated by the flapping open of her fan blade. The creature seemed to consider her words before totally disregarding them. With his free hand he made a swipe at the Wind Witch to knock her out of his way while he went about squeezing the life fluid out of Kagome's body.

Setting her jaw, Kagura sent out a set of blades, watching in satisfaction as they cut through the youkai, getting him to drop the panther in the process. When she had its full attention, she let out her Dance of the Dragon to dispatch him from the world of the living. Kagura looked down upon Kagome's body and shook her head. She didn't nothing more but wait for the presence she knew would be on its way.

Surely enough, not a few moment later, Naraku walked purposely into the brightly lit area, his contented face screwing into a scowl as he took stock of what apparently happened. Noticing the wounds on the carcass, he deduced that Kagome did not do as he had wanted and he that he was extremely disappointed in her. He would have to express his serious displeasure with her and her actions as of late, maybe then he would begin to see the results he wanted.

o0o

There, things are now being set into place. Sesshou has wildcard, Kagome is aware of her power (that she now has one and nothing else) and Naraku's a bastard.

Ooh and is Seto gaining a love interest?

Tell me what you think!

Much love!

-sora


	20. Chapter 20

New chapter, I'm currently writing chap 21, and its whooping my arse, but anyways, enjoy!

Chapter 20

Sesshoumaru paced the room; he had summoned his Knights and was currently awaiting their arrival. He had decided to wait a bit before calling for them, wanting to reveal a plan of action to be carried out immediately. Instead, his head was wrapped around the fact that they may have indeed found Kagome, and that she could just be within their grasps.

It made him feel restless, wanting to get her back in their midst's, the feelings he had desperately tried to hide as of late came rushing to the surface, the confusion he felt towards his feeling were still the most rampant. He sighed and looked out the window to the empty garden below, he felt it was very hypocritical of him, but it seemed that now that he knew that she would be coming back to him, he would admit, to himself at least, that he missed her, and her presence in his home.

Before he could dwell on it, there was a sharp knock to his door, biding them entrance, the Knights lined off before him and waited for whatever it was that their Lord had called upon them for.

"I have a new assignment for you" he stated and they all inhaled sharply, waiting for whatever it was that they were to be doing, each wanting some action on the battlefield. "I have been given a missive stating the location of what appears to be a new torture facility, we are to go there and fee all prisoners." He stated vaguely.

Sato scrunched her eyes in confusion and he looked over at her and nodded, giving her permission to speak freely, or as freely as possible. "Why are we taking up such a task? Not to be snobbish or anything, but from the sounds of that I doesn't appear to be in the Western Territories"

Kaori looked sharply at the female twin "You dare question your Lord's motives?"

"Stand down General, she poses a good point" Sesshoumaru interceded. "That is correct Sato, the site is located a little ways from our Eastern-most borders, however one of the captives is one whom we have been waiting for"

Sato paused, "We found her?" she whispered, hoping beyond hope that it was whom she wanted; a small nod was her only response before a big grin engulfed her face.

"We will be leaving at first light, pack lightly as I do not intend to linger in the area after we have succeeded in retrieving her" they each nodded once before filing out of the room, Sato however stayed behind.

"I wanted to apologise, I was very out of line the last we spoke-" she began but he cut her off.

"Think nothing of it, it is in the past, when you leave please send Jakken to me I have matters to discuss with him." He sat in a flourish of silks behind his desk; she nodded once before skittering out of the room, to do as he bid.

Being left to himself, Sesshoumaru reread the missive before tucking it away on a small pile of correspondence, he hoped that they arrived in time before any serious damage was wrought, no one knew just how much pain the hanyou could inflict within the amount of time but it sounded like quite a bit.

_Kagome I hope you are safe_ he thought as Jakken entered the room.

o0o

She woke up in pain, lots of pain. She really should be used to this by now, or at least used to the possibility. Her limbs hurt and her body was sore, and she was _sure_ she had bruises _everywhere._ Opening her eyes, the first thing she did was scream out as the penetrating whiteness burned her irises. She was back in the room again, that was probably why she still hurt so much.

Her youki needed to be replenished, she needed a shadow, but she knew, she _knew_ that there were none. If there was anything she would applaud Naraku for, was the fact that he was unfortunately consistent.

Tentatively opening her eyes again, she tired to filter the amount of light that came through her lids, she felt so weak, and she didn't think she could move to save herself if her life depended on it. Her head hurt also, a searing pain that she vaguely remembered.

She wondered about that glow that she had seen overtake her body, she wondered what it meant and possibly what it did. She was grasping straws here; anything to keep her mind off of the fact that she was extremely uncomfortable and that her brain felt like it was going to burst out of her head in madness.

The youkai had been hurt when the purple had transferred bodies; maybe that was her power? She thought so, but how did it get to _be_ so? When had this occurrence develop? The last she remembered was being whipped, at least she was pretty sure that was the lat she remembered. She vaguely recalled a small room, but she wasn't too sure about that, her mind could have been playing tricks on her, it wouldn't be the first time.

When she felt that she had subsequently calmed, she took a deep breath. Only to have it rush out of her lungs in surprise as all four bespelled shoji snapped backwards forcefully. When nothing happened afterwards, she felt that there was some tension in the air. The room had darkened considerably so she tried to will her body to regain as much youki as possible.

When she felt a bit better, she crawled on her stomach to the closest opening, not ready to trust her legs with her meagre weight as yet. Looking around she saw nothing. No courtiers, no servants, no shadows, nothing. The place was eerily blank, looking like a backdrop more than anything else. She wondered what had happened, and what was going on.

Deciding that this was an opportunity that shouldn't be wasted, she forced herself up on her still wobbly legs and stepped from the room, only to tense as she felt a presence behind her.

o0o

Guro stood from the cushion in his chambers; the night was dark, quiet and perfect. Naraku was nowhere to be seen, nor were any of his annoying minions. Deciding to use it to his advantage he left the room as swiftly as he was able.

Thundering down the halls, he scoped out the young panther's bespelled room and a lecherous grin overcame his face as he noticed that she wasn't being guarded. Using his most powerful spell, he slid back all four doors, a tactic to confuse her and possibly lure her straight to him.

He stayed out of her field of vision, granted as a panther, it was supposed to be very sharp in the dark, however she was weak, so weak that she wasn't even breathing properly when he had brought her luscious body to her room. He noticed her poking her head out and he waited, he was lucky for he didn't have to wait very long for her to try to manage an escape.

Stepping up behind her, he grabbed her around the waist before she could turn around and he ground himself into her backside. She struggled as he had expected, but he was easily stronger than her, and he was determined to get his prize. Working for a disgusting being like Naraku was sure to have its rewards in some way, and he was only proving himself correct.

Turning her to face him, he saw the way her eyes widened as lust filled his gaze, she opened her mouth the scream and he tried to stop it with what would have been a kiss. Instead, he screamed in pain as her body glowed, he dropped her and kicked her soundly, hoping to weaken her again for him to have his way with her.

Kagome was scared, when she saw just who it was that held her, her brain went into hyperdrive. There would be _no way_ that she would or could allow that to happen to her again. Especially with that beast. Her skin crawled at the feeling of his clammy hands on her and her stomach protested that the mere thought of what he wanted to do.

Before she knew it, she was on the floor on the receiving end of some brutal kicks. The glow was back and suffice to say, she was very happy about it. It seemed to have pained this youkai too, now that she knew that a mere touch was painful, she went about trying to get within arm's reach of it.

She needed to make a lot of noise; she didn't care who showed up, even Naraku would be a welcome reprieve after this. Spying a broken splinter long enough to be sued as a sword, she scrambled up and gripped it tightly in her hands, holding it in front of her defensively.

He glared at her, and she glared right back. She simply _refused_ to be subjected to something like that again and she didn't care, she could die fighting if she had to. Her mind was still traumatized by Naraku's hands and she was not going to allow this greasy being any form of control over her.

He glared at her, how dare she refuse him! He would show her, he would have her! He charged at her, completely ignoring how the glow on her body did not diffuse, only gained in strength like a powerful aura, he would not be defeated by this mere slip of a woman.

She tensed and gripped her 'sword' tighter, when he was close enough, she struck out quickly, some of the strange power it seems, had flowed into the weapon to her assailant, he fell to the floor in convulsions, the pain was so intense, his screaming caused lights in the courtyard to turn on and what appeared to be a blanket spell to diminish.

Kagome sat back against a column, chest heaving from her exertion, she felt weak once more, but didn't want to let it affect her, especially in front of all the persons that had come to watch what was happening.

Soon enough, Kagura made her presence known, she dismissed all of the courtiers milling around regally, before grabbing Kagome by the upper arm and leading her from the area. Carrying her to a brightly lit room, she told her to stay put while Guro was dealt with. She didn't know what was going on, but it appeared that no one had known was the grotesque youki had been planning and apparently none had approved. She wanted to know what his fate would be, but she also figured that when it came to the Hanyou Naraku, she was best not knowing.

Of once in her entire imprisonment, she was happy to be in a brightly lit room, granted, her poor youki was being sucked out of her very body, but at least for now, she was safe. It was ironic that she would find safety with her captors but she would take what she could get for now, and hope that either help came or that she could break herself out.

o0o

Rin and Shippo stood in the Entrance Hall as the Knights lined up for their mission; it was really early, but the two children didn't seem to mind anymore as it was like they were completely automated. They had been told that their Lord and his Knights were going to be going on a very important mission and it was good luck if the entire household wished them well.

Rin remembered the last time they had wished the Lord well; he had come back from battle with only Kagome and Shippo. It hurt to think of the elder demoness, she missed her so much. She wondered why her Lord didn't want to go out and find her, but she didn't ask, she didn't want him to get upset with her like he did with Sato.

The little girl look over at her companion, the little Kit was just as distraught as she was, possibly even more, he had a longer relationship with the missing demoness than she did. But that wasn't to say that she felt any less for the woman, she missed her terribly.

Looking back to the Knights, she saw them standing at attention, which meant that their Lord was arriving and then they were going to leave. While she hoped that they had a safe and successful mission, she really hoped that they came back with Kagome. She remembered the last time she saw the woman, she was getting ready to leave with their Lord and the Knights for the villages, they didn't have a send off then because it was an emergency, right now, Rin wished that they had.

Shippo looked on with bleary eyes, he was tired, tired of crying, tired of worrying and tired of missing Kagome. He wanted her here now! Of course he wanted to demand that Lord Sesshoumaru drop everything and look for his Kagome, but he knew that he couldn't, that wasn't how things were run. He had to wait until something happened.

He hoped in his heart that something was happening now.

Sesshoumaru walked into the Entrance Hall, all the staff and his advisors were waiting for their departure, it was not lost on him that one time that they did not follow this tradition they had lost a member of said household.

Stopping in front of the children, he knelt to their heights, they looked back at him eyes blank, it was as if there was no life within them. He knew they were suffering, much more than any one else in the house. He silently vowed that he wouldn't return until he had the demoness in his possession.

Giving each child a pat of affection on the head, he stood and motioned for his troops to head out.

o0o

Slowly but surely, Kagome realized that there was energy in the room that was sapping her of her own energy. The precious youki that she had fought so hard to replenish was being taken away from her again. She wanted to lash out, to fight it, but she had let her guard down for way too long and now it was simply too late to do anything about it.

Shortly after she had been left in the room her ears had picked up the heightened sound of Guro's screaming before it had cut off just as suddenly as it had begun. She shuddered and she tried to wonder what his fate had been, but she let it pass. It was probably for the best anyway.

A few more moments after that, Naraku made his first appearance for the night, striding into the room and slamming the shoji behind him. She couldn't help but cower slightly at the rage was consumed his flickering aura. He sneered at her before grabbing her chin in a claw-tipped hand so she couldn't get away from him.

"I am beginning to rethink my decision about allowing you to live further." He began, his voice stony and his eye aglow with malice. She wanted to wince as his claws bit into her cheek, but she said nothing, she really couldn't say anything really.

"I have been nothing but gracious and you repay my kindness with spite and anger. Do you think I want to do this? Do you think I want to hurt you? But I will if I must, and you have given me no options in the matter."

"Sesshoumaru will come for me," somehow she felt it best to proceed by advising him that she wasn't going to bow to his whim and to show him that she still had her hope of being rescued. A barking laugh followed her statement.

"You think that old dog cares about a worthless thing like you? Do you think you are worth anything more than the dirt beneath his boots to him?" she nodded once, defiantly, though there was a small shimmer in her eye. His words stung, but she refused to allow him to see it.

"Then why hasn't he come as yet? Why hasn't he sent is Knights storming the stronghold? Why isn't he here demanding your release?" he shook her once for good measure, wanting to make sure that she was listening to him. "The dog is not coming, you mean nothing to him, so get those thoughts out of your head, we have more important things to think about."

"No! He _will_ come for me!" _he _has_ to._ He merely growled at her, his scowl deepening in the face of her disobedience.

"Is my hospitality not good enough for you, _princess?_" he sneered at her, taking pleasure in the way her eyes glistened, "Is it that this place is just too _common_ for the likes of you? Is that why you wish to run from me?" he dropped her with a final shake and she scrambled away from him as quickly as she could with her lack of strength, he watched her go.

Gathering his youki around himself, he resigned to the fact that he would have to absorb her and be done with it. He would find a new weapon; create a new one. It didn't make sense to continue with a model that was so obviously sub par.

"You're nothing but weak, I don't know what I had thought when I considered that you may have any potential whatsoever, you've shown me that even I can make mistakes, but no matter I plan to rectify that." A tentacle shot out and grabbed her around the middle; her scream rent the air as she was slowly brought to what was once Naraku but now a writhing mass of tentacles and youki.

"I am not pathetic!" she screamed out, anything to stave of this fate worst than death.

"Then prove it to me, prove me wrong. Show me that you have the power I seek" he called out, when she was sure than he wouldn't suck her in anymore, she lashed out at him, trying and failing to strike him.

"I have _nothing_ to prove to you" she spat and was rewarded with a sharp backhand that sent her reeling. He grabbed her up by the neck and drug her out the room, ignoring her flailing and struggling.

"Then you have _nothing_ to worry about" he hissed back at her. Purposely dragging her across bumps along the property, he drug her down into the dungeon, calling for Kagura as he did so. He threw her into a corner when they entered the sad space, in a matter of moments, what was once a dark pool of despair filled with light, light so bright that it appeared to have been daylight.

The panther cowered but could do nothing, she was weak against him and she shivered against the thought of what he may want to do to her. As soon as Kagura walked in, she was ordered to chain the woman facing the wall. Kagome whimpered as the cold clammy metal bound her to the grimy wall, pressing her cheek into the old brick.

The gi she wore was harshly torn from her and she shrieked out harshly, her thrashing beginning anew, she could _not _let that happen to her again! The odour of burning metal entered her senses, but before she could wonder just what it was that was burning, a sharp stinging lashed her a back. It felt like knives cutting into her skin followed closely by the sound of a crack.

It happened again and the sensation had her screaming and sobbing against the wall, she could do nothing more than hang there limply. Two lashes later, all sounds ceased. She didn't know whether to think of that as a good omen or bad.

The choice was taken from her when a strong burning sensation made it known; the scent of fumes entered her system as the burning increased. Her bindings released suddenly and she fell to the floor in a heavy thud. She looked up blearily to see the Hanyou standing over her, his face unreadable.

"Take her to the room and see to her wounds, we will begin again on the morrow" he walked out right after, and her consciousness left her.

o0o

I wonder what he did to her? Hmmm, so many questions......

Hope you liked it! New update of TtSaW will be up soon, I had wanted to get this one out first.

Tell me what you think! Any errors, confusion? Mistakes? Anything!

Much love!

-sora


	21. Chapter 21

New Chapter! Sorry it's a bit late, I was apprehensive about updating earlier in the week. But HAZA enjoy! Thank you so much for all the reviews!!! XD love!!!!!

Disclaimer: Nope, not at all

o0o

Chapter 21

The small group made good time as they crossed over to borders of the West, taking pride in their stealth, they continued in an easterly direction before they came upon a well-worn path, obviously used as a roadway to get to a village.

Deciding to stop for a short break, Sesshoumaru raised the signal. Kaori took to the skies to scope out their location and destination for any possibly threats, when she found none she went back to camp.

The twins went about checking their weapons and stocks, wanting everything to be ready and at hand for when they stormed the castle. It would be a first time using that approach for them, but they would do whatever it took to get the panther back.

Sesshoumaru sat by a fallen tree, we was going to take the time to mediate and prepare himself mentally for what was to come, for what he might see, and what he may not. He didn't want to think on the prospect of not finding Kagome here; his heart lurched at that thought.

He refused to accept defeat; he wasn't going to fail in this one task. He was going to find her and bring her back with them, without loosing any men. Seeing their Lord deep in mediation, the Knights spread out strategically to cover all possible entrances and exits, they were tense and ready for anything, and they knew that as soon as he came back to himself they would be off again.

The Twins couldn't help but feel antsy, well technically Seto was feeling antsy simply because Sato was antsy and it put him on edge, but he wouldn't say anything because he understand what his sister's reasoning, even if the emotion made him uncomfortable.

~*~

Packing up what little they unpacked, the small battalion was on is way, walking around the village as to not arouse suspicion, they made it to the 'Daimyo's Stronghold' in record time. The entrance seemed deserted, but it was still early morning and courtiers didn't really begin to mill about until about midday.

Still keeping with their stealth, they entered the Main Corridor and Sesshoumaru took the lead, sniffing through the overabundance of scents for anyone that smelt faintly of their panther. Finding a fading trail, they set about walking the breezeways of the small castle. They felt no youki, but were still on the look out for Naraku or any of his minions.

Finding an open room that exuded the scent of magik, arousal and Kagome, Sesshoumaru growled lowly. The room was brightly lit, but they could tell that it was synthetic light because it glowed from the four white open shoji.

"She was in here recently, but they moved her" he spoke quietly to the others; he hoped she was still on the property, but it really didn't matter as he would find her anywhere she was. Feeling a presence behind them, they all turned in defensive crouches, protecting each other from all sides from what could be a surprise attack.

"Well well, we meet again" Crooned Naraku from off to their left, Kagura stepped up to their right leaving the only open ends being the one going into the room and the steps behind them.

"You knew we would come sooner or later" Sesshoumaru spoke, standing regally before the hanyou.

"Hmm, well we'll just have to make sure you do not get to her this time, last time was a fluke"

"We shall see about that," Seto hissed as soon as Kagura attacked. The group split in two, working like one to bring down their enemy's. The Twins took on the Wind Witch, while Sesshoumaru and his General, Kaori, took Naraku head on.

Seto ducked as a blade was sent his way, the others having already been deflected by his sister who was holding her own against the sorceress. They had quickly realised that it would make no sense to use their elemental attacks against the woman as she may be able to turn them against their users. And they still didn't know where Kagome was being kept, so they had to keep this battle as contained as possible.

Sending a swift kick to her opponent's side, Sato made a move to grab the youkai's weapon. Seto worked his way around, trying to distract her long enough to follow through with his sister's plan, but they were quickly found out and sent ducking for cover.

Sesshoumaru drew Tokijin, the metal glinted in its thirst for blood. It recognised Naraku's aura, but not enough for it to reconsider its motives. The Demon Lord sliced through the tentacles approaching him as Kaori attacked from above, sending concentrated bolts of energy to try an weaken the hanyou.

Naraku was annoyed, not only was he once again put in the very position he hated, not being able to use his weapon, he was being put in the position by the very same dog. It was frustrating to say the least. He knew he would have to retreat soon, but maybe he should let Kagura deal with them a little longer while he made his escape.

A malicious gleam entered his eyes as he tried to bare down on the other youkai, Lord Sesshoumaru was swifter and stronger than the hanyou, but where he lost in brute strength, he unfortunately made up in cunning.

Lashing out swiftly, he shot Kaori out of the air, grabbing her by the neck with a tentacle. The General struggled in his grip, having been caught off guard. Sesshoumaru scowled at the being using his General as a shield, he contemplated a plan of action, giving Naraku the time _he_ needed to create a plan of action.

The sounds of blades rung sharply through the air as Seto, Sato and Kagura fought, the Twins having the upper hand. Noticing the dilemma their Lord had, Sato motioned for Seto to deal with Kaori while she finished up Kagura.

Twirling her blade, she smirked at the Witch. She hated Kagura; she was annoying and had a serious superiority complex. But most of all, she hated her because of what she had put Kagome through in the past, and most likely in recent times.

Gripping the blade, she shot out an attack, watching as it was parried effortlessly by the other woman, another quickly followed it, after which another and another until there was too much for the other woman to even possibly dodge.

A set of fan blades were sent her way, but she parried them, wanting to get this fight over with so she could find her long lost friend. Twirling the blade again, she bore down on the woman, before striking her sideways. A short scream followed by the sharp scent of blood was all that was heard before Sato joined the fray with Naraku.

_This was not going well, not well at all_ the Hanyou thought; the battle was not going to be in his favour. He had long ago released the Hawk, when the other male had made his presence known and now the woman that looked like the male was now aiding her group.

A swift retreat would be best at this point.

Gathering his youki around him, he expelled a thick cloud of miasma, instantly sending his attackers back a few paces, it was all the space he needed for a void to open up before him and take him to safety.

When the fumes cleared, Sesshoumaru's scowl deepened, the Hanyou had escaped again. He snorted in aggravation.

"Don't worry Milord, we can go find Kagome now and bring her back with us" Sato called, trying to bring everyone's minds back to the first task at hand. They all nodded in agreement before continuing down the breezeway.

The breezeway tapered off into a dark corridor, there was nothing on the walls or the floor, it was bare. They stopped by a lone door, it was barricaded with spells of all kind, the strongest being a silence spell on the entire room, her scent was strongest here and with a nod, Seto began working on getting the spells down.

After a few tense moments, they heard a click as all the magik surrounding the room fell. Her scent hit them like a wave; she was in pain, coupled with the loud screams she was emitting, made them realize that they did not like the implications. Barreling through the heavy wooden door, they entered an impossibly white room, bare save for the lone body thrashing on the floor.

Running to her side, Sato tried to ignore the woman's pleads for death as she tried to pry Kagome's hands off of her head. They needed to get her out of the room quickly, before she lost herself. The spells in the room were older and much more difficult to dismantle, but Seto tired anyway.

The 'lights' dimmed once, and then twice before stopping, it was still lit, but significantly darker than it was before. The girl still screamed, there were no shadows to crawl to.

"Kagome!" Seto called, trying to get through to her, the younger girl was hysterical, thrashing and buckling upon the floor in a painful way. It was horrifying to watch, let alone listen to. Tears began streaming down Sato's face to mingle with the panther's.

Sesshoumau had seen enough, striding purposefully; he moved the now crying Sato to the side and knelt at Kagome's, casting a shadow over her face. "Kagome, open your eyes" he intoned in what could be perceived as a soothing voice, the girl didn't readily respond, she did, however, stop screaming.

"Kagome, we need to get you out of this place" he spoke again, gently prying her fists out of her hair, tears still streaked down her face, and she whimpered.

"No, stop, you're not real" she cried softly, only Sesshoumaru heard, "why are you tormenting me?" his heart constricted, wondering not for the first time, what had been going on here.

Kagome was in pain, her head was throbbing, her _mind_ hurt. The light was so bright she couldn't even open her eyes. She had no idea how long she had been there screaming in pain, her body hurt, though she noted the absence of any whip-like pain or any burning, she was just extremely sore.

And weak.

She felt a presence above her but didn't dare to open her eyes, she _knew_ it was that hanyou and she wanted nothing to do with him right now; she never had wanted anything to do with him.

She heard her name being called but disregarded it, she hurt too much to wonder about what he wanted, and she doubted she even had the strength to open her eyes, much less fight him.

A crackle of energy sparked around her, and her world stopped spinning a little, she felt nauseous and her stomach roiled, her eyes hurt and brain hurt. A shadow covered her face; he was still there. Hearing the voice she's dreamt of for Kami knows how long threw her for a loop, she didn't want to believe it, and she didn't want to fall for the halfbreed's tricks. That's what she knew this was, a trick a big trick to try and gain the upper hand on her.

Hearing the soothing words, she cursed Naraku for trying to go to such great lengths to trick her into doing what he wanted, that had to be the only reason; she had already resigned herself painfully to the fact that Sesshoumaru just wasn't going to come for her.

Unaware that she was voicing her thoughts, she started to cry softly, wanting the vile halfbreed to leave her be, to allow her to live in peace.

"Kagome, just open your eyes, please. Rin and Shippo need you to come back with us." He spoke again, and felt the girl tense, he wondered what was going on in her mind briefly before seeing the effort and strain on her eyes, she was obviously trying to open them to see him.

She glared narrowly at the being in front of her, not really registering the blurry figure as of yet, "don't you dare bring them into this" she hissed hoarsely she blinked the stinging out of her eyes and froze as the figure came into focus, golden eyes stared back at her in shock and confusion.

"Are-are you really here?" she whispered; hope lining her voice painfully. She didn't want this to be a dream, or some sick twisted plot. She wanted to leave; she wanted it to be him. A nod was her only answer before she forced herself to sit up and hug his form, _he_ tensed beneath her hands and she let go, looking away, a blush stealing on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I thought you were Naraku.." she looked away, noticing the other Knights for the first time, her blush got heavier and she closed her eyes in embarrassment.

Sesshoumaru nodded once, it was understandable, they had no way of knowing what the hanyou had been doing or had possibly done to her already. "Come, we must leave"

She nodded weakly, yet vigorously and stood with his help. She looked at them all, her face and body relaxing for the first time in a while. Everything was going to be all right.

o0o

Rin sat quietly in her playroom, watching as Shippo coloured a few feet away from her. Since her Lord's departure a few mornings ago, she had spent almost every moment praying the all the Kami that they would bring Kagome back. She was tired, tired of crying, tired of worrying and tired of missing the older woman. She wanted her back now.

She knew that Shippo felt the same way, he often fell asleep before her, crying and sobbing his sadness into his pillow, her heart hurt for the little Kit but she could do nothing as she was in the same predicament as he.

Looking down at her slightly grubby fingers, the growing child sighed despondently, a sound that should not be emitted from one so young. It was unfair that at her age she had seen so much violence and death, more so, that she was most times at the centre of it. She looked around the room, not exactly knowing what to do. Normally at this time, Sato would come in to colour with them or carry them to the Rock Garden. Rin had realized a few days into Kagome's disappearance that she liked being in that particular garden, it allowed her time to think and remember the woman who had quickly become so much to her.

Shippou tried to focus all his energy and attention on the parchment before him, the colored chalk coating his small fingers with a light sheen. He ignored that in favor of covering the entire piece with the dark green colored substance. He missed Kagome; it was plain as day and he didn't think that it could get any more obvious. Everyone knew that he missed her and he wondered about her everyday, it was a usual occurrence now to see him staring off into space, his eyes glazed. He ignored the ramblings of the servants who pity both him and Rin, and those who decided amongst themselves what it was that they needed and didn't need.

None of them understood.

It really didn't matter to him that maybe the other servants felt her absence also, and it also didn't matter to him that she meant something to anyone else other than himself. He had an inclination that he was being selfish of everyone else's feelings but he didn't really care. Or rather, he didn't _want_ to care.

He knew it was wrong to feel the way he was, but he was still a child, and while he may have understood some aspects of the world more than other persons, he was still allowed concessions in behavior simply because, most times he didn't know any better. Or at least, he shouldn't know any better. He had matured a bit during their stay in the Western Palace, and while he may not remember just what his life was before their first abduction, he _knew_ that Kagome was a part of it, he _knew_ that no matter what she cared about him.

And innately he _knew_, wanted to know and believe that she would come back to them.

o0o

By the time they had left the compound and surrounding village, dawn had broken. They knew it was imperative for them to keep their fragile charge under the cover of dark, but there was nothing that could have been done.

Sesshoumaru thought long and hard, weighing the situation in his mind. If they waited for nightfall, then that would set them back in their journey back to the House of the West. However, if they left now, they should be able to arrive by nightfall, and in so doing, could possibly loose the girl inside her mind.

He was content to wait until the sun set before taking the girl, but Rin and Shippou's faces flashed in his mind's eye. The dark circles underneath their dull eyes from nights of sleeplessness and their weary drawn faces. He couldn't allow them to wait any longer than they had. As Lord, it was his duty to take care of those under his protection, and while an abducted courtier was high on the list of importance, the young of the castle proved higher.

Making his decision, he relayed to his General before making the order for them to leave as quickly as possible. He stood at the edge of the clearing that they had stopped at just hours before for a break, hoping that the process of readying the weakened woman wouldn't take too long. He hated that he would be subjecting her to obvious discomfort, but it had to be done, they couldn't possibly stay in the forest all day.

Glancing back at his Knights and seeing Kagome draped weakly in Seto's arms caused a twinge of guilt pierce him. While they were friends, and while she was a part of his household, it was not proper for him to carry her bodily back. He felt guilty for leaving the task to Seto, but he knew that the other male understood.

He felt confusion cover him once more, and turned to look into the lightening sky for guidance. His right fist clenched at his side as he fought the urge to go and relieve Seto of the girl, to hold her to him and allow himself to calm, to realize that she was here, with them.

He knew she was far from okay, she smelt of old blood and fear. But he also knew that her wounds were not only skin deep, she was mentally scarred, she had been tortured mentally if her reaction to them had been any indication. And the fact that she had been kept in a spelled room left one to wonder just how long she had been undergoing such treatment.

Sato felt that she wanted to cry, her eyes burned with the effort to keep her salty tears at bay while she helped her brother to secure the limp girl. They could tell that she was severely weakened, her youki was depleted and she was slipping in and out of consciousness. They all knew what the importance of shadows meant to panthers, that because they were naturally dark creatures, they tended to stay where it was darkest. Over time, the darkness was what aided them in controlling their beasts and youki. They could use a shadow to 'disappear' and 'reappear', confusing and in most instances, defeating their enemies. That was mainly why they were so sought after to become assassins.

They figured that Kagome was no different, though she may have been artificially created; she was still that species of youkai. Direct light was potentially lethal to a panther and continuous light could make them loose themselves. It was said to be very painful (Sato idly wondered if that was where the ningen got their tales of undead creatures that drank blood from) and from what they all had witnessed, that notion was completely and irrevocably confirmed. She shuddered as she remembered the blood curdling screams that the woman had released not very long ago.

Taking another long glance at the woman now limp in her brother's grip, she steeled herself for the journey to come. No doubt that once they break the canopy the screaming will begin, or at least some form of setback. She wondered what their Lord was considering when he advised them, that they wouldn't be waiting until nightfall, but she didn't voice her opinions, she had been doing that a bit lately and she thought it best to not push her Lord's buttons anymore.

It was possibly healthier for her that way.

Picking up the bags at her feet, she nodded once to the rest of the group and they were off.

o0o

She's been rescued!! Yaaayyyyyyyy NOW the plot can begin lol

Tell me what you think!!

Much love!

-sora


	22. Chapter 22

Yes, this is an update. I once again apologize for the wait. This chapter has gone through so many revamps it isn't funny. I hope you like this version!

Chapter 22

_It seemed that the phrase; 'whatever can happen _will _happen' was quite apt for this journey _Sesshoumaru thought as they touched down for the night, while it was a far cry from the Western House, he felt that his small team deserved it.

Just as they had suspected, the journey had not at all been good for Kagome, as soon as they had taken off she had begun to thrash wildly in his male Knight's arms. She was still unconscious, but her aura and youki had been fluctuating so wildly that they had had to descend for fear of losing her quicker in the altitude.

While the decent helped some, it didn't work and if at all it possibly made it worse. The fluctuations had served to call forth numerous youkai, and they had spent the day fighting and protecting her prone form.

After getting fed up, Sesshoumaru had forcefully covered her aura with his own, while it wasn't a sign of Mating or Courting (as it wasn't done in the ritual way), it had served its purpose and smothered hers into submission. All was thought to be well afterwards, that was, until said panther woke up screaming. Having night terrors about what she had been subjected to that none of them seemed to understand. It had taken all Sesshoumaru had to calm her down without taking her from Seto, a big feat that left all drained.

It was then decided to remove themselves from the area because all the blood and gore around them would bring more youkai, carrions and curious, to them.

They entered a mossy clearing, empty save for the small stream running aside of it. The canopy of trees above them served to block out most of the sun's rays. Save for a few that beamed through in single shafts.

The group of warriors set up a small nondescript camp, Seto placing the very precious cargo in the area with the least amount of sunlight. They would use this time to regain whatever energy they had lost and hopefully begin their journey again by sundown.

o0o

She hurt, all over. Her head hurt, her body felt sore and bruised and she just felt like she had been through hell. She was hot also, so incredibly hot that her skin felt aflame, she couldn't stand it.

She didn't know what was happening, why was she in so much pain? She was with Sesshoumaru, he had rescued her, and she should be okay, safe. But she wasn't, she didn't feel that way.

She felt threatened, but was unsure why, her head hurt too much for her to really give it much thought. Her mind felt like it was _melting_, she was in agony. A small groan escaped her lips as she tried to turn over in her fitful sleep; she just wanted the pain to end.

Had she not been in so much pain, she would have been embarrassed. It was Horrifying to know that her leader and all her colleagues had seen her at such a low point in her life. To have been kidnapped, tortured and raped just wasn't enough, the aftermath just _had_ to be witnessed by the ones who she had wanted to accept her for her power n resilience.

Another groan escaped her as a particularly painful jolt sped up her spine, bringing to the rest of the camp's awareness that she was becoming conscious. There was someone beside her, she could feel them but that was just about as much as she was able to do. The hand that rested lightly upon her shoulder however told her that it was a female, so that left two.

"Kagome, are you awake?" came a soft voice.

_Sato_,her mind supplied wearily. "I am fine," she rasped out, twitching ever so often as her youki tried to refill itself.

Sato looked down at her with almost pitying eyes; she could tell that the younger girl was trying to be strong in the face of them all, it really made her wonder just what it was that had been done to her. She doubted that she could imagine and hoped with all her heart that she would never have to experience.

"Would you like some water?" she pressed, trying to find some way to make the girl more comfortable. A small nod was her answer and she made quick work of getting a bowl of water for her to drink from.

She felt everyone's eyes on her as she allowed herself to be lifted into a more comfortable position, they were all curious. Lifting her hands to accept the water bowl, her eyes spied the bruises on her wrist left by Guro. She tensed and her eyes closed in remembered pain, her vision flitting from Guro's attack to the two times Naraku had taken her.

A shiver ran unchecked down her spine and a short current burst from behind her head in a purple snake. She felt dirty and used. She was defiled and disgustingly so, her hands curled in on themselves as she flinched, dropping the bowl in the process.

She needed to clean herself.

Having been unable to mourn the loss of herself up until now, her mind was busy revisiting all of the horrors she had endured in a way that no woman wished. Trying to pull herself together she looked warily up at Sato, who was looking down at her with fearful eyes.

"Please do not touch me." She whispered, her tone more subdued that anyone had ever heard. Sato's hand moved like lightning, releasing the girl and hopefully abating her discomfort.

Sesshoumaru looked the injured woman over with a critical eye. Her shoulders were hunched and trembling, reminiscent of the time when he had first taken her from Naraku. She was curled up, trying to be as small as possible, he was surprised to see the flow of youki emanating from her. Though weakened, it seemed to be trying to protect her from what it deemed harmful.

Catching the eyes of the Twins, he silently relayed to them that they would be leaving in mere moments. Sato took the initiative to pack up their meager camp while everyone else readied themselves.

His resolve to get her to the House of the Moon had only been strengthened by her weak cowering. He needed to speak with her, to aid her; but he could not do that while out in the open. The sooner they arrived at his home, the sooner he would be able to breathe easier and formulate plans to help her.

He only prayed that she could still be saved.

o0o

The rest of the journey had been made in relative silence. Kagome had refused politely to be carried by Seto, much to the chagrin of the rest of the group and had insisted that she be allowed to move on her own so as to force her body to adapt quicker.

Though presenting a major setback, Sesshoumaru had allowed it; noticing, where the others hadn't, that the situation had more to it than her preference to not appear weak. It was almost as if she were afraid of Seto's touch.

The implications made his fur stand on end and his ire skyrocket. While he was still fully unsure, he had an inkling that she may have been taken against her will. His gut twisted in a painful way and his heart fell as he watched her gradually close herself off, until she was merely following their youki signatures.

Turning his senses back to their path, the Lord of the West tried to formulate a way for them to arrive at the castle within the next few hours. While they weren't far off, their pace was slowing them down considerably.

"Kaori." He spoke suddenly. All those behind him paused, Kaori snapped to attention.

"Yes Sir?"

"You will carry Kagome to the Shiro before the night has ended." He paused long enough for her to accept her new orders and turned to stop Kagome before she refused. Looking at her with a bland glare, he ordered her to ready herself for flight.

"We will deal with the situation in the protection of the Western House," he spoke, his veiled words letting her know that he would like to speak with her privately as soon as possible. She nodded once with a sigh.

Kaori took the time to transform fully and waited patiently for her new charge, soon enough, both her and Sato clambered on and she took off shortly after.

After ensuring that they were a safe distance away, Sesshoumaru turned to his remaining Knight.

"There is more to the situation that we are privy to" he began; Seto nodded his understanding. "When we get to the House, I want you to do a sweep to ensure that there is no one that would be or is capable of causing her harm."

The Knight nodded once more before they were both off.

o0o

The two figures at the dinner table paused in their lackadaisical eating to assess the ripple of power they had just felt in the air. The younger of the two looked over at her Kitsune companion with a flutter of hope in her heart. He nodded once, agreeing that he had felt it as well.

Their food stayed forgotten as they made their way quickly through the many corridors of the southernmost wing to wait in the Entrance Hall.

"What if its not her?" Rin questioned quietly, her voice a husky murmur from not being used.

"It _has_ to be" Shippou murmured back, trying to keep the doubt from creeping into his heart. "Lord Sesshoumaru had said that he would bring her home." He implored, putting his faith blindly in the Demon that had taken them in.

The heavy door to the Hall creaked open slowly, capturing the attention of the two children. Kaori walked in confidently, strolling past them. Rin blinked, her hands gripped Shippou's as their hope skyrocketed.

"Are you sure?" they heard faintly, it was Seto's voice; it sounded worried.

"I am." Was the reply. Rin's eyes burned with tears as her mind processed the voice that they hadn't heard in so long. Two figured stepped through the threshold one hunched in concern the other painfully tensed.

"Ka-Kagome?" it was Shippou who spoke first, his impossibly green eyes glistening as streams of tears rolled down his cheeks. The panther looked up at the sound of her name and her eyes widened at the two.

"Shippou, Rin." She called, almost disbelieving that she was actually seeing them.

"Kagome!" it was Rin this time, and the little girl wasted no time in rushing over to her and implanting herself on the woman's leg, unaware that she was hurting her missed guardian but oh so happy that she was there with them again. That seemed to push Shippou out of his stupor as he too rushed forwards and hugged her other leg, sniffling and rubbing his nose in her Kimono, happy that she was here.

"I missed you too," she murmured to them, rubbing her hands through their hair, trying to ignore the pain that emanated from her legs at their pressure. She was not going to force them to curb their exuberance because she was in pain.

Sato stood stiffly at their side, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She felt like she was invading on their familial moment but she was under orders to not leave the girl's side until Sesshoumaru arrived.

The servants that had been walking past paused in their duties to witness the heartfelt greeting before continuing on and whispering about themselves. It wouldn't be too long before the whole House knew that the female had finally returned.

After what felt like an eternity for Sato, the imposing presence of their Lord entered through the front doors of the House. Taking in the scene before him, he nodded to Sato, dismissing her from her duty. The two children looked up at him, awe and gratitude apparent in their gazes and he nodded to them too.

"Have you eaten?" he asked them, identical blushes stole on their cheeks as they let the woman go, Sesshoumaru heard her faint sigh of relief and his curiosity spiked. Dismissing the two little ones with a look, he turned to the silent panther.

"Welcome back" he intoned lightly, unsure how to go about getting her comfortable once more.

"Thank you" she said weakly, falling into a deep bow, her messy hair falling on either side of her face. "For saving me"

His heart clenched at seeing such a respectful action coming from her. He stepped towards her but froze when he saw the flinch she was unable to hide. She looked at him sadly, shame coloruing her face before looking away.

"Come." He said turning to his private wing. She followed behind him as he crossed the garden and began climbing the steps to get to his study. Seating himself behind his desk, he motioned for her to make herself comfortable. She did so reluctantly.

After ensuring that there was no other soul but them, he looked at her sadly. "I will not force you to tell me what happened, I cannot in any judgment request for you to relive whatever horrors that bastard dealt upon you" he paused, his jaw and fist clenched before he took a deep breath and continued. "But, know that I am here, as your friend, in the case that you may wish to speak of it."

Tears pooled in her eyes as she nodded sharply at him. She wouldn't tell him however, lest he think any less of her than he most assuredly (in her mind) did now. He knew it was very out of character for him, but no matter how aloof he may wish to appear, he could never ignore a woman broken. Guilt flooded him, she had been taken while under his protection, and had unimaginable things done to her. He couldn't forgive himself until she was healed completely.

o0o

Walking to the spring room, Kagome waited for everyone to leave before closing the door securely behind her. She wanted no visitors, maids, spectators, pitying looks. None of it. Sliding the coarse material off of her body, she let it pool on the floor around her.

Stepping gingerly into the hot water, she sunk until her entire being was covered. Allowing the water to lap at her body for a moment, she tried to keep her mind blank. It was to no avail as she kept hearing Naraku's voice cooing at her, she could feel his hands caressing her while he forced himself on her.

Breaking the surface, she didn't miss a beat as she began to scrub at her raw skin. Trying to get the feeling of disgust and shame to pour out of her like the blood from her reopened wounds. She felt disgusting, allowing herself to be raped. It was of no consequence that he was stronger than her and had put her in a situation where there was no way for her to help herself, the fact was that it had happened, and she was now disgraced in every sense of the word.

She didn't recognize that tears were flowing down her cheeks to mix with the mineral water, she didn't realize that her mouth was open in a long silent scream, she most of all didn't realize that her youki was wildly flashing around her. A large sob tore from her chest as she sunk to her knees, clutching herself she let the tears and cries come unbidden.

Sesshoumaru stood beyond the shoji of the room, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes bleeding crimson and his jaw tensed. He wanted to do so many conflicting things at the moment; he wanted to first and foremost go in there an comfort her, her reaction alone was all he needed to solidify that one of his worse fears had indeed come to pass. He knew that if he went in there his act would not be appreciated as she needed to come to terms with it on her own. Also, he doubted she would take very kindly to a male entering the baths while she was in there.

He also wanted to go and find Naraku, wherever the bastard may be and enact his revenge and avenge the gruesome death of her innocence. He knew that as of right now, Naraku would be unfindable and that it would waste his time to go and look for him, he would most likely end up on a killing rampage.

When did she become so important to me that my persona goes out the window as soon as she cries?

Turning stiffly, he summoned Sora and had her turn down the panther's bedding. He had a feeling she would want to go straight there after her bath.

o0o

Ive been out for a while with this I know, I really hope I havnt lost too many of you. I want this story to be perfect so I'm sorry that its taking me so long to get the chapters out.

Anyways, Tell me what you think!!

Much love!

-sora


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